From a normative discourse to contextualised practices: a case study of a human rights-based approach in Bangladesh

Abstract

A human rights-based approach (HRBA) is a framework which integrates human rights standards and principles into development processes. It has been promoted since the late 1990s by the United Nations (UN), some bilateral aid agencies and international nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) as an alternative discourse to needs-based and economy-centred discourses. The potential values and problems of a HRBA have largely been debated theoretically, with little attention to how it is understood and implemented in practice. With regard to human rights-based practices in development NGOs, the literature views local and organisational contexts as a constraint and local practitioners as lacking the knowledge and skills needed to implement a HRBA. This suggests a HRBA is viewed as a normative discourse, which should be applied by local practitioners as predetermined.Questioning this view, the thesis pays attention to changes in a HRBA influenced by the contexts and the roles of development practitioners.This research explores the particular understanding and practicing of a HRBA in ActionAid Bangladesh (AAB). AAB was selected because it belongs to the federation of ActionAid international (AAI) which adopted a HRBA in 1998, and because it operates in a country characterised as challenging due to its hostility to human rights advocacy. The research has drawn on interviews with 15 AAB staff and 13 staff of its local partner organisations. This research suggests AAB's HRBA is the product of contextualisation of a HRBA. In this thesis, the term 'contextualisation' means the process of shaping the HRBA to fit ii organisational and national contexts. This thesis argues that NGO practitioners play an important role in contextualising a HRBA, encouraged or moderated by their contexts.The research participants displayed their agency in challenging and recreating a HRBA.Exploration of the contextualisation process reveals that the exercise of agency requires some understanding of and commitment to a HRBA, which is conceptualised as 'internalisation' in this thesis. Noting the varied degrees of internalisation, this research provides a plausible explanation in terms of two factors: the extent of their exposure to a discourse and their involvement in field practices. Those who strongly internalised a HRBA tend to contribute toward shaping a HRBA to be relevant and applicable to their contexts.The discussion draws attention to context-related knowledge, which enables contextualisation of a HRBA. This research shows that individual workers' knowledge about contexts is mostly implicit and informally transferred to colleagues. Organisational support is needed for amplification and legitimisation of individuals' contextualised knowledge.Heightened understanding of the contextualisation process can contribute to both new knowledge and development practice. Building on theories about discourse and agency, the thesis adds knowledge of internalisation and contextualisation of a discourse. As a result of examination of contextual influe...