Description
This paper aims to contribute to a better understand of the role of horizontal inequalities in host-refugee relations in the context of the targeting and distribution of humanitarian aid. It draws on 10 months research in Lebanon in 2017-18 with Syrian and Lebanese interlocutors. The United Nations (UN) in Lebanon, according to the main strategy document, the Lebanon Crisis Response Plan, aims to alleviate resource pressure by supporting municipal service delivery. This suggests that the UN believes resource pressure can lead to conflict between communities. However, this paper demonstrates that this view is too simplistic. Instead, it is not merely the question of "who gets what" that influences host-refugee relations, but also the targeting process as such and questions about who participates in decision-making. This is linked to power relations in the targeting process. The findings demonstrate a discrepancy between what the UN defines as deservingness criteria and the view on deservingness in the local community. Understanding the role of perceived horizontal inequalities in host-refugee contexts requires an adaptation of the concept to incorporate process alongside the hitherto emphasis on distribution.
