CCRJ scholars are involved in various projects that assess the development and impact of humanitarian action.

Under the title, 'the evolving sociology of the aid industry,' Stephen Hopgood is, for example, part of a research project on whether international NGOs working in fragile states have evolved into a collection of large transnational 'firms' which have (inadvertently or otherwise) been co-opted into serving the greater security and welfare agendas of liberal democracies.  The research is in collaboration with the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, the universities of Minnesota and Bristol, and the Overseas Development Institute.

Other CCRJ scholars researching in the area of humanitarianism include Laura Hammond, whose research evaluates humanitarianism in the Horn of Africa, and Jonathan Goodhand, who is pursuing research on faith-based humanitarianism in Asia. Fiona Adamson is collaborating (with Dan DeHanas) on research into Islamic Humanitarian NGOs in the UK. Sutha Nadarajah (and David Rampton) are researching the nexus of international aid, conflict and global liberal order.