DYSFUNCTIONAL SOCIAL SYSTEMS: THE CASE OF AID TO REFUGEES IN AFRICA

摘要

Dysfunctional systems may be seen as ineffective or harmful by various of theirrnstakeholders. One example of a social system that may be doing more harm than good isrnthe community of organizations attempting to provide aid to refugees in Africa. Thosernwho are familiar with the plight of African refugees see the situation as becoming worsernrather than better. Political instability, warfare, economic collapse, disease, drought, andrnfamine continue to generate new waves of refugees, overwhelming the system that isrntrying to cope with the problem. This paper presents a pilot study that identifies some ofrnthe shortcomings of the current system of aid to refugees. That system is compared withrna model of an ideal system in order to identify possible routes to improvement.