How operational research makes for better humanitarian work

What happens when humanitarians turn a critical eye to their own work? Not the work they do for communities—but the way they do it? 

Operational research is a branch of humanitarian inquiry dedicated to exactly that: investigating how aid is delivered, whether it's working, and how it can be done better. It asks hard questions. And it sits with uncomfortable answers. 

In this special episode of Humanitarian Conversations, RedR Australia CEO Dr Helen Durham is joined by three leading voices in the field—Dr Fiona Terry, Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland and long-time aid practitioner; Beth Eggleston, Co-Founder and Director of the Humanitarian Advisory Group; and Dr Josh Hallwright, RedR Australia's Director of Training and Strategy. 

Together, they draw on careers spanning some of the world's most complex crises—from the moral dilemmas facing aid workers in Myanmar's Rohingya camps, to understanding what drives armed groups to show restraint in conflict, to the political economy of aid in Somalia. 

They explore what operational research really is, why it matters, and what it looks like in practice. And they wrestle with the ethical challenges that come with asking difficult questions in high-stakes environments—and perhaps more critically, what humanitarians are obligated to do with the answers. 

Host: Dr Helen Durham 

Guests: Dr Fiona Terry, Beth Eggleston and Dr Josh Hallwright 

Producer, engineer and composer: Jill Farrar  

Producer and series host: Sally Cunningham

Read the transcript here.

You can join our conversations on LinkedIn and Facebook.  

You can find out more about RedR Australia’s training courses here.