The aim of this thesis is to identify the obstacles for the transition of refugee camps and to identify whether network management can be a way to deal with this. The combiniation of the long-term existence of refugee camps, its negative impact on individuals, the inevitable urbanization and the lack of policy implementation of the UN refugee agency causes urgency to look at the management of a refugee camp differently. Humanitarian aid is not appropriate anymore and the moment development aid comes in remains unclear. The linkage between the different forms of aid is lacking. In this thesis, the transition between these different forms of aid is investigated by conducting a network analysis the case study: Za’atari Refugee Camp in Jordan. The results show that the main obstacle in the transition is the lack of interaction and platform. This is caused by several institutional obstacles. The host government rejects the durable solution integration, has a complex decision-making structure and points towards the international community to take care of the refugee camp which causes absence of incentives to intiate interaction about the transition of the camp. Also from the UN side there is a lack of mandate for the long-term, a short-term funding system and non-transparancy between agencies causes obstacles for interaction. Also having a developmental approach, or exit strategies for humanitarian agencies is blocked by the difficult economic situation in Jordan and the high standards of UN agencies.
By analysing a Think Tank project which aims to establish interaction about the future of Za’atari Refugee Camp the application of network management strategies is tested. The results show that some interaction was established successfully but that the process stagnated when actors had to take ownership and resigned predominantly from the process. Lacking protection of core values and lack of agreement on process rules can be one of the reasons for the stagnation in the process. There are several obstacles to be found to the transition of refugee camp Za’atari, which can also be found worldwide in other refugee camp situations. These obstacles cannot directly be overcome by networkmanagement because it is limited to the extent wherein the core-values remain protected. Network management is hampered when actors on purpose execute non-cooperative strategies to protect their core-values.