JDC Literature Review
The JDC literature review contains summaries of recent publications and academic scholarship on issues relating to forced displacement.
The Composition of Labor Supply and its Evolution from 2010 to 2016 in Jordan
This paper examines trends in labor force participation, unemployment and employment in Jordan between 2010 and 2016, in the context of large inflows of Syrian refugees as well as rapid increases in educational attainment among Jordanians. The analysis is based on...
Impact of Syrian Refugees on Male Immigrants’ Labor Market Outcomes in Jordan
This article examines whether the Syrian refugee inflow to Jordan has displaced other immigrant workers in the Jordanian labor market. Since the start of the Syrian war, more than 1.3 million Syrian refugees have settled in Jordan. At the same time, between 2004 and 2015, Jordan received an additional 1.6 million immigrants. Together, refugees and immigrants increased Jordan’s population by 45 percent.
The Economic and Fiscal Effects of Granting Refugees Formal Labor Market Access
Most refugees, especially in developing countries, do not have formal labor market access. Even when permitted by law, administrative and practical barriers often limit access. The authors argue that granting refugees formal labor market access has the potential to...
Job Vacancies and Immigration: Evidence From Pre- and Post-Mariel Miami
This paper examines the impact of immigration on labor market opportunities in the United States. The authors exploit the Conference Board’s Help-Wanted Index (HWI), a monthly job vacancy index that counted the number of help-wanted ads published in local newspapers...
The Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis on Firm Entry and Performance in Turkey
The authors examine the impact of Syrian refugee inflows into Turkey on firm entry and performance. While total firm entry does not seem to be significantly affected, there is a substantial increase in the number of new foreign-owned firms in refugee-hosting regions....
Two and a Half Million Syrian Refugees, Tasks and Capital Intensity
This paper investigates how the rapid increase in the low-skilled labor supply in Turkey induced by the inflow of 2.5 million Syrian refugees changed the tasks performed by Turkish workers and the capital intensity of Turkish firms. Despite the unexpected nature of...
The Impact of Internal Displacement on Destination Communities: Evidence from the Colombian Conflict
The paper examines the impact of internal displacement in Colombia between 1998 and 2005 on wages in destination municipalities. The analysis suggests that influxes of IDPs lead to a short-run negative impact on wages, i.e. a one percent increase in population due to...
The Labor Market Effects of Refugee Waves: Reconciling Conflicting Results
Recent research has challenged the consensus that sudden inflows of refugees have little or no impact on natives’ wages and employment, claiming instead that there are uniformly large detrimental effects on natives without school qualifications. The authors offer two...
Assessing the Direct and Spillover Effects of Shocks to Refugee Remittances
Over 60 percent of refugees in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp receive remittances, over half through informal money transfer services. On average, remittances comprise half of the income of families that receive them. In April 2015, in response to an Al Shabaab terrorist...
Are Refugees a Burden? Impacts of Refugee Inflows on Host’s Consumption Expenditures
This paper examines the impacts of Syrian refugee inflows on consumption expenditures and incomes of Jordanian nationals. The 2015 Housing and Population Census identifies 1.3 million Syrian refugees in Jordan; approximately 650,000 have registered as refugees....