This paper explores the link between needs assessment and decision-making by agencies and donors about response and resource allocation.

Examining global funding disparities, i.e. levels of funding not correlating to levels of need and most urgent cases not consistently prioritized, the paper also considers the lack of a consistent and objective basis for deciding which those cases are, and the means for deciding about the allocation of resources between competing priorities in the humanitarian 'system'.

The paper is based on five case studies and focuses on the international humanitarian system, including the range of assessment and decision-making processes by UN agencies, the Red Cross Movement and INGOs, and humanitarian aid departments in governmental and intergovernmental aid bodies.