Paper details

Paper authors	Stefanie Barratt
In panel on	A world without camps? Understanding the potential for refugees and IDPs to achieve well-being and decent livelihoods in urban areas.
Paper presenter(s) will be presenting	In-Person / Online

Abstract

Originally designed as short-term emergency relief solutions, refugee camps have since become the site of protracted displacement in many contexts. At the same time, the displaced are increasingly forfeiting the assistance offered to them in a camp setting, choosing to settle instead in cities. This preference suggests that many seek autonomy and opportunity in urban centers, or perhaps flee boredom, isolation and a lack of prospects. Yet little evidence has thus far been presented on whether refugees do indeed fare better in cities than in camps.

We seek to fill this evidence gap, and aim to understand camp and urban-based refugees' situation both economically and more broadly in terms of their subjective and objective well-being. The PDUW research consortium has completed quantitative data collection in three out of four countries (Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Kenya), surveying over 2,300 camp-based and city-dwelling refugees.

In this panel, we present emerging findings from the ongoing data analysis. Examining the situation of the camp- and urban-based interviewees in terms of the fulfillment of their basic needs, access to infrastructure and services, their livelihoods, but also mental well-being, we draw a portrait of the economic and overall welfare of the interviewees in the different countries. We contrast the status of those living in cities with their camp-dwelling peers, with an eye to considering other potential determinants including gender and age.

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