Humanitarian crises, whether they result from conflict, natural disaster or political collapse are usually perceived as complete breaks from normality, spurring special emergency policies and interventions. This book questions this assumption, arguing that there are both continuities and discontinuities between crisis and normality. Using a wealth of international case studies from a team of leading experts, the book examines what this means for the social and political dynamics of institutional response, international policy and aid interventions in crises.