On September 22, IPA participated in the third webinar in the series, Building the Evidence on Forced Displacement: From Research to Policy Making, to discuss findings from the latest research on forced displacement. This webinar focused on the economic and social impact of Venezuelan refugees migrating to Brazil.

As of October 2020, there were 261,441 Venezuelan nationals living in Brazil, representing the largest share of Brazil’s 1.3 million refugees and migrants population. While the economic gains of immigration are well documented in the literature, the evidence on the impacts of forced displacement is mixed and focused mainly on high-income countries. World Bank Young Fellow in Forced Displacement Mrittika Shamsuddin and coauthors investigate the short-run fiscal impact of Venezuelan refugees and migrants on the public expenditure and revenue of Roraima state and on labor market outcomes, including unemployment, employment, and earnings in the study Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Brazil. This study expands on a previous paper Integration of Venezuelan Refugees and Migrants in Brazil (blog and press release) that looked at Venezuelans’ access to education, social protection programs, and labor market outcomes in Brazil. These novel studies help to understand the challenges faced by Venezuelan refugees and migrants and their impact on the local economy. They recommend the need for targeted and cross-cutting policies that take into account the unique challenges faced by both the most vulnerable local and displaced populations.

Speakers

• Marie-Helene Verney, Board of External Engagement, UNHCR Regional Bureau for the Americas
• Craig Loschmann, Economist, UNHCR Regional Bureau for the Americas
• Germán Daniel Caruso, Senior Economist, Human Capital Project, World Bank
• Pedro Henrique de Moraes Cicero, Adjunct Professor, Institute of Economics and International Relations, Federal University of Uberlândia
• Mrittika Shamsuddin, Young Fellow in Forced Displacement, World Bank
• Sandra Viviana Rozo Villarraga, Research Econmist, World Bank
• Ricardo Rizzo, Head of United Nations Division III, Brazil Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Moderator

• Nabila Assaf, Practice Manager, Fragility, Conflict, and Violence Group, World Bank

Watch the webinar recording here.

This webinar is the third in the series Building the Evidence on Forced Displacement: From Research to Policy Making, which disseminates findings from quantitative research on forced displacement and discusses its implications on programming and policy. The series provides a platform for disseminating research that is targeted and forward-looking and that will help practitioners and policymakers design and deliver effective forced displacement programs.

This webinar series is organized by the FCDO-UNHCR-WB Building the Evidence on Forced Displacement program, Innovations for Poverty Action, the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab, the World Bank Development Impact Evaluation unit, the Center for Global Development, the International Rescue Committee Airbel Impact Lab, the World Food Programme and UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti.