Traditionally the primary function of NGOs has been to mitigate the effects of war; providing humanitarian aid and protection on the peripheries of violent conflict. Recently there has been an increased focus on the impact of humanitarian aid in general, and to a lesser extent on the impact of aid on conflict and peace dynamics.

Jonathan Goodhand is a Lecturer in the Development Studies Dept. at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London specialising in the Political Economy of Development Aid and Conflict. He has previously worked for several NGOs in Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and central Asia and as an advisor for Oxfam, CARE and the Department for International Development of the UK government.