Dear Deeply Readers,
Welcome to the archives of Refugees Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on April 1, 2019, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on refugees and migration. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.
We continue to produce events and special projects while we explore where the on-site journalism goes next. If you’d like to reach us with feedback or ideas for collaboration you can do so at [email protected].
Exploring the economics of forced displacement.
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Martin Ruhs
The Global Compact on Refugees recommends that high-income countries take in some refugees as labor migrants. Researcher Martin Ruhs explores how that might work.
Provash Budden
Other prolonged refugee crises, such as in Syria, show that short-term aid is only one piece of the puzzle, writes Mercy Corps’ Provash Budden. Now is the time to ensure Venezuela turns out differently.
Jennifer Gordon Professor of Law, Fordham University in New York
The Ethiopia Jobs Compact’s commitment to providing formal economic opportunities ignores the likelihood that many refugees will be able to find only informal work, writes law professor Jennifer Gordon. Implementation will be more effective if it considers this reality.
An Israeli law enacted in mid-2017 amounts to a de facto salary cut for African asylum seekers, plunging the community into a financial crisis, reports Steven Davidson.
Jordan’s ‘jobs-for-refugees’ compact, rolled out in 2016, saw mixed results. Five researchers from the Overseas Development Institute draw on lessons learned to recommend five ways to ensure the Ethiopia compact succeeds.
Aviva Shwayder
With the number of displaced Venezuelans on track to reach 3.6 million this year, small island-nations such as Trinidad and Tobago can’t ignore their responsibility to help, writes Aviva Shwayder of Refugees International.
As we near the end of another eventful year for refugees and migration policy, our editors select 2018’s best stories and commentary on Refugees Deeply.
Swati Mehta
Three years after record numbers of asylum seekers came to Germany, jobs remain the biggest challenge for post-2015 arrivals. Researcher Swati Mehta offers four ways to make financial integration work.
Lucy Hovil Senior Research Associate, International Refugee Rights Initiative
The idealization of Uganda’s refugee model is unhelpful for Ugandans and refugees, says Lucy Hovil of the International Refugee Rights Initiative. Ignoring the political context risks undermining the best and obscuring the worst of Ugandan refugee policy.
Izza Leghtas
Dina Baslan
Help for refugees in Jordan is focused almost exclusively on Syrians. Researchers Izza Leghtas and Dina Baslan make a plea for Yemenis, Somalis and Sudanese not to be forgotten.
Jeff Crisp Associate Fellow, International Law Programme, Chatam House
The U.N. refugee agency lacks the funding, political clout and independence to protect refugees in the way that it is supposed to, says former UNHCR official and refugee policy expert Jeff Crisp.
The oil-rich Gulf States depend on the migrant labor of millions of domestic workers to cook, clean and care for children across the region. For those workers, the chance of a better life for their own families comes with the risk of exploitation, abuse, even slavery.
African migrants are moving from Italy to Malta to work, but find themselves undocumented and unprotected. Leanne Tory-Murphy reports that Malta’s economy is desperate for workers but the country is in political denial over migration.
Hein de Haas Professor of Sociology, University of Amsterdam
Katharina Natter Doctoral Researcher, University of Amsterdam
Governments’ political orientation does not determine whether they pursue more or less restrictive migration policies. New research from Katharina Natter and Hein de Haas debunks accepted wisdom on the politics of migration.
Lev Plaves Senior Portfolio Manager, Middle East at Kiva.org
Refugees can boost local economies, but they often lack access to finance as banks deem them risky borrowers. Lev Plaves of crowdfunding platform Kiva explains how their research on the creditworthiness of refugees challenges those economic assumptions.
The E.U. has led an expensive and often contradictory effort to modernize African borders. Author Philippe Frowd looks at the gap between policy and outcomes.
Amid nascent efforts to introduce labor protections for migrant domestic workers in the Gulf, women who returned to Ethiopia describe why working in the Middle East entails both great dangers and opportunities, and how the experience changed their lives in complex ways.
Debora Del Pistoia Freelance Journalist
The campaign to detain, harass and deport thousands of African migrants is about politics, not past agreements with Niger. Debora Del Pistoia looks past the excuses at the reality of a xenophobic crackdown.
Laura Buffoni Senior Livelihoods Officer - UNHCR
Syrian refugees in Jordan have talked about their fears and challenges, views and culture, since their arrival. But have we been listening? Laura Buffoni of the U.N. refugee agency reflects on why the Jordan Compact is failing women and urges better-designed policies.
Increasing numbers of Libyans are breaking a long-standing taboo and fleeing across the Mediterranean. Four Libyans explain why seven years after the revolution they must find a way out even if it means using smugglers.
Rural stores in Denmark contain vital lessons for making asylum centers work. Researchers Zachary Whyte, Birgitte Romme Larsen and Mona Schaldemose uncover a quiet success story.
David Dyssegaard Kallick Deputy Director, Fiscal Policy Institute
Cyierra Roldan Policy Analyst, Fiscal Policy Institute
Companies that hire and successfully integrate refugees into their workforce reap the benefits of high retention rates, better management skills and a wider potential labor pool, say the authors of new study of U.S. employers.
Mark Akkerman Researcher, Stop Wapenhandel & Transnational Institute (TNI)
In austerity-stricken Europe, increasing funds are flowing to arms and security firms positioning themselves as experts on border control. Researcher Mark Akkerman documents the companies profiting from E.U. border externalization and the industry’s lobbying power.
Jessica Brandt FELLOW, BROOKINGS
Will two years of work on the Global Compact on Refugees produce more than a piece of paper? Jessica Brandt of the Brookings Institution argues that the involvement of mayors and other urban leaders is critical to the Compact’s success.
Negar Tayyar Philanthropic Adviser, Manages the Global Whole Being Fund
Christine Mendonca CEO and Cofounder, Humans on the Move
Most grantmakers approach refugees and their local communities as a problem to be solved. Philanthropy experts Christine Mendonça and Negar Tayyar call for a shift to an asset-based approach, where refugees’ experiences and skills are part of the solution.
Gonzalo Fanjul Head of Research, porCausa Foundation
Spain’s migration control policies in North Africa dating back over a decade are now replicated across the E.U. Gonzalo Fanjul outlines PorCausa’s investigation into Spain’s migration control industry and its warning signs for the rest of Europe.
Kate Hooper Associate Policy Analyst, Migration Policy Institute’s International Program
Europe’s proposal to consolidate migration spending will draw from development aid funds to help curb migration, even though the evidence shows that migration can bring development benefits, writes Kate Hooper of the Migration Policy Institute.
Gisma Magara works with women in Juba’s camp for people who have fled South Sudan’s civil war. She tells her story to Sam Mednick.
Researchers from Stanford University say an algorithm for locating refugee resettlement could vastly improve their probability of finding work. We speak with them about their research and the limits and opportunities of big data for refugee resettlement.
Since democracy returned to The Gambia last year, many Gambians are coming home, including from Libya with E.U. aid. Some returnees are warning others against the journey, but many are frustrated that returns and deterrence took precedence over reintegration and jobs.
Jennifer Gordon Professor of Law, Fordham University in New York
Opening doors to refugees to make a good living can be positive, but the approach contains risks. Law professor Jennifer Gordon says the refugee and migration pacts must overlap for the sake of refugee workers.
Migration is a positive side effect of development, and aid should not be spent in pursuit of keeping people where they are. Development economist Michael Clemens sorts the evidence from the politics in conversation with Refugees Deeply.
The E.U. is spending millions in development aid in sub-Saharan Africa in an effort to dissuade migration to Europe. But in countries like Burkina Faso, people think very differently about migration, IRIN News reports.
Most Syrians coming to Germany receive temporary protection instead of full refugee status, complicating efforts to integrate them. Miriam Berger reports on how one family from Damascus copes with the unknown while getting on with life in rural Bavaria.
Julie Teigland, managing partner for EY in Germany, talks to Refugees Deeply about the multinational accounting firm’s efforts to speed refugees’ integration into the workforce.
Nazanin Ash Vice President of Global Policy and Advocacy, International Rescue Committee
Cindy Huang Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development
The ‘jobs for refugees’ experiments in Jordan and Lebanon are the most promising approach for decades, say aid policy experts Cindy Huang and Nazanin Ash. They offer three ways to improve on disappointing early results.
Malaysia shelters thousands of mostly Rohingya refugees, recently joined by Syrians fleeing war. Yet the country offers few protections for refugees, and children bear the brunt of restrictions on education and work and the perpetual fear of arrest.
In a major global economic experiment, billions of dollars in aid and concessional loans have been promised to Lebanon and Jordan to create jobs for Syrian refugees. In our latest Deeply Talks, we discuss our investigation and answer community questions on the compacts.
Euan Ritchie Supports the Work of Owen Barder in the CGD Europe Office
Owen Barder Vice President, Center for Global Development
Experiments like social impact bonds point the way to smart investments in integrating refugees. Leading development economist Owen Barder says the right incentives could unlock returns for investors.
Cory Rodgers DPhil Student in Anthropology, University of Oxford
In response to a recent study on the positive economic impact of Kenya’s Kakuma camp, Cory Rodgers argues that the term ‘host population’ obscures divergent and conflicting economic interests among locals and may mask trends of marginalization and growing inequality.
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