This book offers an in-depth case study on the leading international refugee agency, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and its approach to environmentally displaced persons. The author examines the UNHCR on the basis of expert interviews and content analysis in order to highlight why and how the organization is addressing the issue. The analysis draws on organizational as well as security theory, offering readers a better understanding of the connection between the two. The book appeals to scholars in the fields of migration and organizational studies, as well as policymakers and professionals working in international organizations.
Sinja Hantscher received her PhD at the TU Darmstadt, Germany. Her academic research and her teaching focuses on international migration, security studies and political education. She works at the Academy of the Federal Police in the Section for Social Sciences, in Lübeck, Germany.
Introduction: Disaster Displacement.- Environmental Changes and the Competing Perspectives on Environmentally Displaced Persons.- Theoretical Background: Organizational Theories and the Research on International Organizations.- Research Design: Operationalizing Security Theory and Organizational Theory.- The UNHCR and Environmentally Displaced Persons.- Conclusion: Putting the UNHCR's EDP-Approach into Context.