Please find below projects supported by the Displaced Livelihoods Initiative.

Full Projects

Disrupted Aid, Displaced Lives: Unraveling the Impact of Refugee Funding Cuts through a Regression Discontinuity Study in Uganda

Researchers: Guy Grossman, Yang-Yang Zhou, Shelby Carvalho
Country: Uganda
Partner: UNHCR
Type of Project: Full RDD
Research Implemented by IPA: No
Project Duration (months): 25

In the summer of 2023, UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP) launched a new policy in Uganda that reduces unconditional cash and in-kind transfers for 1.5 million refugees. This new policy reduces households to either 60 percent or 30 percent of their previous rations, based on their vulnerability score. In collaboration with UNHCR, this study will survey thousands of households just above and below the eligibility cutoff in order to causally identify the effects of aid cuts on welfare and livelihood adaptation strategies. In doing so, the researchers aim to understand the effects of a dramatic drop in the level of support for refugees. As UNHCR anticipates continuing budgetary cuts in multiple refugee-hosting contexts, this research will inform policymakers on the effects of funding withdrawal as well as contribute to the larger literature on cash transfers and resources for refugees.

Improving Refugee Integration Through Public Works: Evidence at Scale from Ethiopia

Researchers: Dennis Egger, Girum Abebe, Alfredo Manfredini Bohm, Sandra Rozo, Christina Wieser
Country: Ethiopia
Partners: Government of Ethiopia, UNHCR
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: No
Project Duration (months): 24

This study investigates the integration of refugees and hosts into Ethiopia's urban safety net’s public works and livelihoods program, targeting 22,500 households in seven refugee camps and nearby areas. Among these, 12,000 households will be sampled in a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the program's impact. The Refugee and Host Integration through the Safety Net (RHISN) program offers paid public works on small-scale public goods and social infrastructure, training, coaching, and a $600 livelihood grant to foster higher-income livelihoods and socio-economic integration. The project aims to measure the program's effect on beneficiaries' well-being (economic, social, and psychological), analyze the impact of mixing refugees and host in public works and training groups on productivity and social cohesion, and assess the economic and social spillover effects on the local economy. This initiative marks one of the first attempts in sub-Saharan Africa to incorporate refugees and host communities into a national urban social protection program.

Re:Build: Cash Grants and Mentorship to Strengthen Refugee Economic and Social Integration in Uganda

Researchers: Andrew Zeitlin, Travis Baseler, Thomas Ginn, Ibrahim Kasirye, Belinda Muya
Country: Uganda
Partner: International Rescue Committee
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: No
Project Duration (months): 21

With refugee populations across the world increasingly hosted in urban areas, the creation of economic opportunities for, and social integration of, these populations is a pressing policy challenge. Mentorship by an experienced business owner and peer groups of other inexperienced business owners has the potential to grow existing business networks. Using a randomized design, researchers will evaluate whether a group business mentorship program can improve microenterprise success and social cohesion among refugees and Ugandans aged 18-35 years living in Kampala, Uganda. The evaluation will assess the impact of cash grants, cash grants with mentorship, and cash grants with a modified mentorship design that incentivizes cooperation on economic and social cohesion outcomes. In addition, researchers will examine the effect of contact-induced within mentorship groups (either mixed refugee and host or mixed genders) on the same outcomes, compared to a mentorship group of the same gender and nationality. This study will build an understanding of the role of three fundamental constraints to refugees’ livelihoods and well-being: physical capital, human capital, and social capital.

Pilot Projects

Evidence on the Impact of Work Permits on Refugees and Host Communities in Ethiopia

Researchers: Gharad Bryan, Sarah Winton, Christian Meyer, Tsegay Tekleselassie
Country: Ethiopia
Partner: Government of Ethiopia's Refugee and Returnee Services
Type of Project: Pilot Research
Implemented by IPA: No
Project Duration (months): 36

Most of the world’s refugees face work restrictions. Given the increasingly protracted nature of displacement, identifying effective solutions for refugee economic integration will be essential to ensuring the long-term well-being of both refugee and host communities. In collaboration with the Ethiopian government and the World Bank, researchers will conduct a large-scale randomized controlled trial (RCT) that will provide evidence of the impact of refugee work permits on both recipients and host communities. This study will assess how the right to work directly impacts the lives of refugees, and estimate indirect impacts on the host community.

Refugee Representation: Strengthening Inclusion and Networks through Parental Engagement in Schools

Researchers: Shelby Carvalho, Kawira Gikambi Zipporah
Country: Kenya
Partner: UNHCR Kenya
Type of Project: Pilot Research
Implemented by IPA: Yes
Project Duration (months): 13

Parent associations hold a significant role within education systems across various countries, often influencing school policies and funding decisions. Given that schools frequently serve as the initial and recurrent point of contact for immigrants in a new nation (Abu El-Haj, 2007*), this context presents a valuable opportunity to explore the impact of refugee representation within local civil society bodies, notably parent-teacher associations. Researchers will conduct a pilot randomized controlled trial involving primarily caregivers in refugee hosting areas of Kenya to assess the impact of encouraging caregivers to engage with grassroots civil society organizations on various aspects of refugee life in Kenya, including social networks, local integration, empowerment, education, and livelihood outcomes. The study's ultimate objective is to determine if improved information access, coupled with opportunities for network building and involvement in local civil society, can contribute to enhancing inclusion and livelihood prospects for refugees.

* Abu El-Haj, T. R. (2007). " I was born here, but my home, it's not here": Educating for democratic citizenship in an era of transnational migration and global conflict. Harvard Educational Review, 77(3), 285-316.