Displaced Livelihoods Initiative
Funded Projects
Please find below projects supported by the Displaced Livelihoods Initiative.
Full Projects
Researchers: Horacio Larreguy, Antonella Bandiera, Valeria Lentini, Mateo Vásquez-Cortés
Country: Costa Rica
Partner: UNHCR
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: No
Project Duration: 2024-2026
In Costa Rica, most refugees and asylum seekers are from Nicaragua, who have increasingly sought asylum in the country since 2018.1 Nicaraguans have significantly higher rates of poverty and lower rates of receiving transfers or accessing state services compared to Costa Ricans in vulnerable socioeconomic conditions, making their economic and social integration more difficult. As financial assistance, UNHCR distributes unconditional cash transfers for three months to vulnerable Nicaraguan households. Although cash transfers can provide relief for refugees, research suggests that the benefits are short-term.2 This underscores the need to enhance knowledge and access to state programs and services to foster integration and well-being.
Funded by IPA’s Displaced Livelihoods Initiative and in collaboration with UNHCR, researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to measure whether unconditional cash transfers and information about accessing state social and public services improve Nicaraguan refugees’ long-term economic and social integration in Costa Rica. A total of 3,600 Nicaraguan refugees will be randomly divided into the following groups:
No information + No cash transfer (Comparison)
Information + No cash transfer
Information + 3 month unconditional cash transfer
No information + 3 month unconditional cash transfer
Information + 6 month unconditional cash transfer
No information + 6 month unconditional cash transfer
Results will be available in 2026.
Researchers: Maria Micaela Sviatschi, Carlos Schmidt-Padilla, Nikita Melnikov
Country: El Salvador
Partner: UNHCR
Type of Project: Full RCT
Research Implemented by IPA: No
Project Duration: 2024-2025
Displaced individuals from former gang-controlled neighborhoods frequently face employment discrimination stemming from employers’ apprehension about potential gang affiliation.1 In El Salvador, UNHCR, in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, implements “Mi Primer Trabajo” (My First Job), a five-month apprenticeship program for job seekers from former gang-controlled neighborhoods that lack formal work experience. The program fully subsidizes three months of participants’ employment to help them integrate into the formal job market and to increase firms’ willingness to hire from these marginalized communities by reducing labor costs.
Funded by IPA's Displaced Livelihoods Initiative and in collaboration with UNHCR, researchers are conducting a randomized evaluation to measure the impact of the "Mi Primer Trabajo" program. They will assess indicators including workers' long-term employment outcomes, socioeconomic status, and firms' attitudes towards job seekers from former gang-controlled neighborhoods. A total of 2,000 job seekers and 600 firms will be randomly selected to either participate in the “Mi Primer Trabajo” program or serve as a comparison group.
Results will be available in 2025.
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
Researchers: Manon Delvaux, Arthur Laroche
Country: Uganda
Partner: Community Empowerment for Rural Development
Type of Project: Pilot
Research Implemented by IPA: No
Project Duration: 2024-2025
In northern Uganda’s refugee settlements, where food insecurity is high, many refugees cultivate land for their subsistence in the vicinity of the settlements. A large majority of them do not have a formal written land rental contract with their landlords. While informal institutions and agreements can have enforcement power in socially and culturally homogeneous groups, their efficiency tends to decrease with social and cultural distance.1,2 In this context of cohabitation between Ugandans and refugees, the absence of clearly defined terms of trade can limit successful farming outcomes, because refugees’ rights to what they earn, produce, and consume are more vulnerable to changes. Evidence suggests that formal land contracts grant greater security, which can lead to increased farm profitability, investment and credit opportunities, and economic diversification and growth.
Funded by IPA’s Displaced Livelihoods Initiative and in collaboration with Community Empowerment for Rural Development, researchers are conducting a randomized pilot evaluation to measure the impact of formalized land rental contracts between refugee tenants in the Bidibidi and Imvepi refugee settlements and landlords from the host communities. The formal written land contracts indicate the duration of the agreement, the surface area rented, the compensation, the rights and duties of tenants and landlords related to land use and resource protection, and the signatories. Tenants and landlords will be randomly assigned into two groups with formal land rental contracts provided by village leaders—with different information available—or remain with informal land rental contracts and serve as the comparison group.
Researchers will assess indicators including trust, social cohesion, agricultural practices, and food security. They will also investigate why formalized land rental contracts are not more widespread in rural Uganda.
Results will be available in 2026.
Researchers: Prabin Khadka, Nicholas Haas, Blair Welsh, Makol Kuol Lual
Country: South Sudan
Partner: Center for Emergency and Development Support (CEDS)
Type of Project: Pilot
Research Implemented by IPA: No
Project Duration: 2024-2025
Nearly 2.32 million South Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries, while 2.22 million remain internally displaced within South Sudan due to ongoing violent conflicts. Refugees typically settle in regions where resources are already scarce, leading to perceived competition and sparking resistance from local communities. Tensions are further heightened as foreign aid in those areas is primarily allocated to refugees, which generates resentment and further conflict among host communities.
In response to these challenges, the nonprofit Center for Emergency and Development Support (CEDS) operates a livelihood program that aims at promoting self-sufficiency and economic stability among both displaced individuals and local community members. The program is managed by an inclusive committee composed of representatives from both groups. This committee oversees the allocation of funds for local economic development projects, supports the creation and implementation of personalized livelihood plans, provides skills training, among other livelihood activities.
To evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, researchers will conduct a randomized evaluation with 1,600 households across three states in South Sudan: Unity, Northern Bahr El-Ghazal, and Warrap. Households will be randomly assigned to participate in the inclusive livelihood communities or serve as a comparison group. This evaluation aims to determine if inclusive management improves aid distribution efficiency and enhances social cohesion by fostering better relationships and collaboration among community members.
Results will be available in early 2026.
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.
Infrastructure and Public Goods Projects
What Drives Backlash Against Refugee Integration Policies? Evidence from Kenya
Researchers: Mae MacDonald, Jens Hainmueller, Adam Lichtenheld
Country: Kenya
Partner: N/A
Type of Project: Infrastructure and Public Goods
Implemented by IPA: No
Project Duration: 2023-2027
Throughout the world, countries are becoming more progressive with respect to refugee livelihoods and integration. In low- and middle-income countries such as Colombia, Ethiopia, Uganda, and Jordan have adopted “local integration” policies that provide refugees with greater work rights, freedom of movement, and increased access to services. The latest example of this trend is Kenya, where the ongoing implementation of the 2021 Refugee Act and “Shirika Plan” transitions the country away from its long-time model of forced refugee encampment to “integrated settlements,” with improved access to work and services. What are the public’s attitudes towards refugee integration in Kenya, and how will attitudes towards refugees change in the wake of the 2021 Refugee Act and Shirika Plan?
Funded by IPA’s Displaced Livelihoods Initiative, researchers are conducting a panel survey to assess country-wide attitudes towards refugees prior to and several years after the implementation of the policy changes. Specifically, they will identify changes in public attitudes towards refugees, support for the Kenyan government and its policies, and the perceived impact of refugee hosting on citizens. Results will inform future interventions that target reducing obstacles to refugee integration.
Results are expected in 2027.