Humanitarian Aid After COVID‐19: Sociological Directions for Research in a Transforming Sector

ABSTRACT The humanitarian aid sector is undergoing a profound transformation in response to the COVID‐19 pandemic. This period of change coincides with emergencies such as the Gaza and Ukraine crises and recent institutional shifts like the restructuring of USAID, all of which may further affect the landscape of humanitarian action. Sociologists have long examined humanitarian aid and possess unique theoretical tools to study this ongoing transition. This article investigates how the pandemic has impacted the coordination, funding, staff security, and crisis adaptation of humanitarian aid organizations, highlighting the unique contributions that sociological research can make in understanding these transformations. This article traces the consequences of pandemic‐driven reforms—such as localization, remote and digital response, and new models of volunteer management—for contemporary humanitarian practice. Existing lines of research demonstrate that the challenges first encountered during COVID‐19 have set the stage for the sector's responses to today's complex emergencies, with lessons from the pandemic informing both best practices and persistent problems in current humanitarian aid contexts. The article outlines key directions for future sociological research, guided by the understanding that insights from the legacy of COVID‐19 are essential for analyzing ongoing humanitarian restructuring and sector‐wide adaptation in this new era of intersecting emergencies.