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 following section describes 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 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.

Farmers who live clustered together are easier to work with than nomads. They are sedentary, often living within walking distance of their fields. Because they live predictable lives based on seasonal work, they are relatively easy to bring together for meetings or other intervention activities. The agglomerations of structures make providing services like education or health care easier. Nomads, by contrast, move around and are harder to reach.

In addition, there are literally thousands of sophisticated techniques for improving agricultural production that can be offered to support farmers that can have immediate, tangible benefits.

Unfortunately, in many places, the different needs of farmers and nomadic groups for the land and for water act as dividers of the two groups. When interveners seem to favor one group over the other (even, for example, introducing new farming techniques which require additional water resources), these divisions can be exacerbated.

Do No Harm users have found ways to go beyond the easy to reach and to engage those often left outside the benefits into more comprehensive, connecting processes.

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Related Topics
Distribution Effects in post-conflict settings
Distribution Effects in post-disaster settings
Why do negative Distribution Effects happen?
Using Distribution Effects
Resource Transfers