JDC Literature Review
The JDC literature review contains summaries of recent publications and academic scholarship on issues relating to forced displacement.
The Labor Market Effect of South-to-South Migration: Evidence From the Venezuelan Crisis
This paper examines the impact of Venezuelan migration on the labor market outcomes of migrants and non-migrants in Colombia. Between 2014 and 2018, Colombia received approximately 1.2 million migrants from Venezuela, accounting for approximately 3.2 percent of the working-age population. A quarter of those immigrants were Colombian citizens who returned to the country due to the Venezuelan crisis. International migrants (not Colombian born) share a common history with Colombia and speak the same language.
Refugee Inflow and Labor Market Outcomes in Brazil: Evidence from the Venezuelan Exodus
This article examines the effect of Venezuelan migrants on labor market outcomes in the Brazilian state of Roraima. Venezuelan migrants in Brazil are concentrated in Roraima state, which shares a border with Venezuela. As of 2018, 60,000 Venezuelans had relocated to Roraima, where they comprised 10 percent of the population of its capital city, Boa Vista.
Do legal restrictions affect refugees’ labor market and education outcomes? Evidence from harmonized data
This paper estimates the impact of refugee policies on labor and education outcomes in developing countries that host refugees.
Refugees and internally displaced persons in development planning: No- one left behind?
This paper documents the extent to which refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) are included in development planning and explores how inclusion can be strengthened.
Refugee return and social cohesion
This article examines the impact of refugee returns on social cohesion in Burundi. Burundi experienced a major conflict, the mass displacement of refugees, and their mass return after more than a decade abroad. Burundi also has a scarcity of fertile land, which could contribute to competition and affect social cohesion when refugees return in large numbers.
Somali Refugees in Kenya: Increasing camp-urban mobility
This working paper examines the wellbeing and ‘displacement economies’ of Somali refugees living in protracted displacement in Kenya, comparing those living in camps to those living in urban areas. Kenya is home to approximately 280,000 Somali refugees, of whom 230,000 live in the Dadaab refugee camp complex in Garissa County, and around 24,000 living in the Eastleigh neighborhood of Nairobi. The research was conducted during the period when the 2006 Refugee Act, which enforced Kenya’s encampment policy, was still in effect. Kenya has since adopted a new Refugee Act in 2021 (which came into force in 2022) that provides for the establishment of ‘designated areas’ for refugees but does not explicitly contain an encampment requirement.
The impact of hosting refugees on the intra-household allocation of tasks: A gender perspective
This paper examines the long-run urbanizing effect of refugee camps in Tanzania. Between October 1993 and April 1994, Tanzania experienced a mass influx of more than 800,000 refugees from Burundi and Rwanda, who were settled in camps located in the remote regions of Kagera and Kigoma. The population of these regions increased by more than a third and this was followed by a proliferation of humanitarian aid agencies and expatriate workers.
The persistent urbanizing effect of refugee camps: Evidence from Tanzania 1985-2015
This paper examines the long-run urbanizing effect of refugee camps in Tanzania. Between October 1993 and April 1994, Tanzania experienced a mass influx of more than 800,000 refugees from Burundi and Rwanda, who were settled in camps located in the remote regions of Kagera and Kigoma. The population of these regions increased by more than a third and this was followed by a proliferation of humanitarian aid agencies and expatriate workers.
Impact of Refugees on Hosting Communities in Ethiopia: A Social Analysis
This report examines the impact of refugees on host communities in Ethiopia. As of January 31, 2024, Ethiopia was hosting more than 970,000 refugees and asylum-seekers, 99 percent of them from South Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea, and Sudan (UNHCR, 2024). Most live in camps located in five regional states: Afar, Benishangul-Gumuz, Gambella, the Somali Regional State (Somali Region), and Tigray, near the borders of their respective countries of origin. Apart from Tigray, these are the least developed states in the country, and the refugee camps tend to be in the least-developed areas of these states.
The effects of refugees’ camps on hosting areas: Social conflicts and economic growth
This article investigates the effects of refugee camps on the occurrence of social conflicts and on economic growth in the Africa region. The authors investigate the effect of 140 refugees’ camps listed in the UNHCR Camp Mapping Database in 22 African countries, located within 100 km from a border. Most of the camps are in Ethiopia (26 camps), Sudan (22 camps), Chad (22 camps), South Sudan (9 camps), and Cameroon (9 camps).