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The Principal-Agent Problem in Humanitarian Aid Activities

İnsani Yardım Faaliyetlerinde Asıl-Vekil Sorunu

Back to Book Chapter in Humanitarian Aid in Theory and Practice: 1
  • Prof. Dr. İbrahim Demir
    Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Ankara, Türkiye image/svg+xml
    https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2425-0288
    Prof. Dr. İbrahim Demir is a faculty member at the Department of Economics, Faculty of Political Sciences, Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University (AYBU) and University of Geor-gia, Athens, GA, USA (affiliated adjunct). Dr. Demir serves as the director of the Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (ULİSA | IIRSR) and is the head of the Humanitarian Aid Studies (interdisciplinary) graduate program. Dr. Demir, who holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA, returned to Türkiye in 2018 after having taught economics in the USA for many years and has con-tinued his research at AYBU since. Dr. Demir has been and continues to work as princi-pal investigator or researcher on various research projects in Türkiye and the USA. Dr. Demir continues his studies in the fields of health economics, agricultural economics, brain drain, and humanitarian aid. He published a ten-chapter edit book titled Human-itarian Aid, Nobel Publishing House, 2023, as a contribution to humanitarian aid litera-ture in Turkish. Dr. Demir thinks that be climate change or conflict or poverty-driven, humanitarian aid is essentially an economic problem, and solution to humanitarian aid issues is also greatly economic.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.55709/okuokutyayinlari.393
The principal-agent problem is commonly encountered in social theory for transactions carried out by an agent of principal entity. The principal-agent problem refers to the misalignment between the principal’s maximization goals and the agent’s maximization goals in a transaction involving agency. Humanitarian aid is often carried out by intermediaries or agents, as donors’ direct assistance to those in need would be costly and technically difficult. For donors, which are the principals of humanitarian aid action, the subject, timing, place, and quality of the aid are crucial for utility maximization. For example, as a reflection of the principal-agent problem, the airport syndrome refers to the delivery of aid in a way that is easy to reach (low cost) but does not coincide with the donor’s objectives in terms of the location of the aid. Therefore, it is important to examine humanitarian aid activities in the context of the principal-agent problem in order to prevent the amount of donations from shrinking. In this context, this study explains principal-agent problems that may arise in humanitarian aid activities and discusses possible consequences. The study findings and recommendations will be useful in minimizing the problems encountered in humanitarian aid activities and will play a role in preventing potential contractions in the humanitarian aid sectors.
Asıl-vekil sorunu sosyal teoride vekâletle yürütülen işlemlerde ortaya çıkan yaygın bir sorundur. Asıl-vekil sorunu vekalet içeren bir işlemde asılın maksimizasyon hedefleri ile vekilin maksimizasyon hedeflerinin örtüşmemesini ifade eder. İnsani yardım, bağışçıların doğrudan muhtaçlara yardımı maliyetli ve teknik bakımdan zor olacağı için genellikle aracılar ya da vekiller tarafından yürütülmektedir. İnsani yardım bağışçılarının bağış yaparken amaçladıkları faydanın yardımın konusu, zamanı, yeri ve niteliği bakımından yerine getirilmesi önemlidir. Örneğin, asıl-vekil probleminin bir yansıması olarak havaalanı sendromu, yardımların ulaşılması kolay (düşük maliyetli) ancak yer bakımından bağışçı amaçlarıyla örtüşmeyen bir şekilde yerine getirilmesini ifade eder. Bu yüzden insani yardım faaliyetlerinin asıl-vekil problemi bağlamında incelenmesi bağış miktarının daralmaması için önemlidir. Bu bağlamda bu çalışma insani yardım faaliyetlerinde ortaya çıkabilecek asıl-vekil sorunlarını açıklamakta ve olası sonuçları tartışmaktadır. Çalışma bulguları ve önerileri insani yardım faaliyetlerinde karşılaşılacak asıl ve sorunlarının minimize edilmesinde faydalı olarak insani yardım sektörlerinde gözlemlenebilecek potansiyel daralmaları önleyici rol oynayacaktır.
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Humanitarian Aid in Theory and Practice

The Principal-Agent Problem in Humanitarian Aid Activities

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How to Cite
Demir, Ibrahim et al. (eds.). “The Principal-Agent Problem in Humanitarian Aid Activities”. Humanitarian Aid in Theory and Practice: 1. 10/72-78. Symposium Books. Ankara: Oku Okut Press, 2025. https://doi.org/10.55709/okuokutyayinlari.393