Study Groups

Raising the Bar is organized around four study groups conducting applied research. Each study group commissions several field-based case studies and creates a framework analysis focusing on the relevant donor policies, structures and practices of the European Union and the US Government. The study groups focus on the following key topics:

Linking Relief, Rehabilitation, and Development (LRRD)

The study group adopts a donor perspective on LRRD, asking: to what extent can the EC and the US, as the most important donors of humanitarian and development aid, promote LRRD outcomes at the field-level? [More...]

Improving Humanitarian Performance through the Implementation of Lessons Learned

The Tsunami Evaluation Coalition’s (TEC) assessments and other studies show that many of today’s well-known lessons about effective and equitable humanitarian assistance and existing international standards are not consistently reflected in humanitarian policies, programming and practices. [More...]

Business Engagement in Humanitarian Action

The Business Engagement study group will empirically analyse the different methods for and areas where business and donors engage. It will provide an overview of the different forms of business-donor engagement and analyze the opportunities and risks of business engagement in relief and preparedness efforts. [More...]

Civil-Military Relations in Disaster Response

Whether in the context of natural disasters or complex emergencies, civil and military actors are increasingly working together. This study group addresses these relationships and evaluates the different modes in which the Americans and Europeans use their military assets in the context of humanitarian crises, as well as the specific approaches to civil-military cooperation adopted on both sides of the Atlantic. [More...]