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.
JDC Literature Review
Results for: 2023
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 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.
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).
Prevalence and factors associated with post-traumatic stress disorder among internally displaced people in camps at Debre Berhan, Amhara Region, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study
This paper estimates the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among internally displaced people in camps at Debre Berhan, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. At the time this research was undertaken, there were three IDP camps in Debre Berhan: Sunflower...
The Dynamics of Refugee Return: Syrian Refugees and Their Migration Intentions
This paper examines the factors that shape aspirations to return home for Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan. Syrian refugees in Lebanon are subject to a range of hardships, restrictions, and barriers to integration, including difficulties associated with obtaining...
What is the impact of forced displacement on health? A scoping review
This paper reviews the main challenges faced by applied researchers to produce unbiased causal estimates of the effects of forced displacement on health. The authors sought to answer the following question: “What are the analytical challenges faced by current...
The freedom to choose: Theory and quasi-experimental evidence on cash transfer restrictions
This paper studies the effect of cash transfer restrictions on the welfare of recipients in the Kalobeyei refugee settlement in Kenya, a context in which restrictions matter because cash transfers are extra-marginal (they are greater than the amount a household would...
The short-lived effects of unconditional cash transfers to refugees
This paper examines the effect of two large-scale cash transfer programs on the welfare of Syrian refugee households in Lebanon. Lebanon hosts approximately 1.5 million Syrian refugees. The authors quantify the effect of the multipurpose cash assistance program, which...
Refugees welcome? Inter-group interaction and host community attitude formation
This paper investigates the role of refugee-host interaction in influencing host community attitudes towards refugees in Uganda, Kenya and Ethiopia. The authors also explore the factors, other than contact, that shape attitudes of host communities towards refugees,...