The Hague Humanitarian Studies Centre

The HSC is part of the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam. The HSC was launched with the stipend attached to the Spinoza prize – the highest science award in the Netherlands – that was granted to HSC Director Professor Thea Hilhorst in 2022.

Initiatives

The HSC is currently leading the following initiatives:

• A one-year graduate programme (MSc) on ‘Societies in Crisis: Humanitarian Action and Policy Responses’
• Climate Resilience in Diverse African Contexts: Co-Creating Knowledge∞Action Networks (Climares)
• Humanitarian Governance: accountability, advocacy, alternatives project
• The Humanitarian Observatories Network

Humanitarian studies concern the study of societies and vulnerable communities experiencing humanitarian crisis. This can originate from disaster, conflict, refugee situations and/ or political collapse.

It studies the causes and impact of crisis; how people, communities and authorities respond to them, including efforts for prevention and preparedness; how humanitarian action and other external interventions are organized and affect the recovery from crises; and the institutional changes that crises and crisis response engender.

Members

The HSC houses three additional institutes.