Five Common Types of Distribution Effect

A Distribution Effect occurs when people perceive that an organization has a bias in favor for or against a specific group through the way they distribute resources.

The criteria interveners use to select recipients of assistance or to hire their staff or identify their partners often match with local identity groups. If the choices about who to help, who to hire or with whom to partner favor one group over others, and thus provide important resources for survival to this group, the assistance becomes contested and can be a serious source of tension and conflict.

The five following sections each describe a common type of distribution effect, with some examples. The examples are not exhaustive of the type, but rather illustrative of a pattern we have seen repeated in many places.

Distribution Effects in post-conflict settings

In post-conflict settings, everybody has needs, often quite severe ones. At the same time, a losing side will almost always have more needs than a winning one. The losers have generally suffered more destruction of houses and infrastructure, more killings, and more displacement.

The focus of assistance on the “people who suffered most,” (i.e. the losers) feeds a perception by the winners that the international community does not care about them. It can seem that the international community is taking sides, re-strengthening the losers, and perhaps reigniting the conflict. This kind of perceived bias feeds rumors about international assistance and its agenda, decreasing security for everybody.

Distribution Effects in resource management

Resources that are used in common, such as water, forest, or pasture, are always challenges to manage. When more than one group wants to access a resource this can lead to conflict.

Distribution Effects based on the easy route

Some people are easier to reach than others. This can be based on geography, language, cultural affinity, transportation networks, education, and so on.

Distribution Effects based on social or economic criteria

The use of social or economic criteria (“poorest of the poor”, “the landless”, “subsistence farmers”, etc.) can trap organizations into working with a limited set of people. Where these groups largely or completely overlap an identity group, an organization focused on providing resources to just one will feed into tensions.

Distribution Effects in post-disaster settings

While similar to post-conflict settings in that everybody has needs, there is not the same concern about “winners” and “losers”. Instead, the concern is that those defined as “most affected” by the disaster might come from a specific group.

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