Research Olivier Sterck

Abstract

Refugee talents remain a largely untapped resource. More than 108 million refugees, asylum-seekers and other forcibly displaced people have fled their country of origin because of persecution, violence, or human rights violations by the end of 2022 (UNHCR, 2023a). The large majority of forcibly displaced people are hosted in low- and middle-income countries, where access to labour markets is severely constrained (Betts, 2021). Many of these people have skills that are demanded in high-income countries, and they aspire to migrate; yet they are often locked out of skilled migration systems due to not having travel documents and other administrative barriers, not being visible to employers, or facing difficulties identifying relevant job opportunities. They are therefore often stuck in countries where they are locked out of the local labour market, and prevented from moving to countries where their skills are well matched with economic demands. Given the long-term gap in labour market integration experienced by refugees, host countries miss out on the potential economic gains offered by refugee immigration, which in turn can fuel poverty and segregation among refugees and increase societal costs (Bevelander, 2020, World Development Report 2023). Refugees and displaced people are also left unable to fulfil their dreams and aspirations. Talent Beyond Boundaries (TBB), a global non-profit organisation, is the first organisation in the world to focus on refugee labour mobility as a complementary solution to traditional humanitarian resettlement. They connect skilled refugees with companies in need of their skills, and work with partners to help to facilitate the recruitment, migration and settlement processes. TBB works directly with governments, immigration lawyers, and employers to obtain skilled-worker visas, and overcome administrative barriers that refugees may face. TBB also facilitates their social integration in partnership with employers and local communities, and partners with other organisations to support settlement. In the lens of the of the match and motive framework used by the World Bank (World Development Report 2023), TBB offers the possibility to transform "refugees with a weak match" into "economic migrants with a strong match". This study will examine the impact of this skilled-worker visa programme on the outcomes of refugee workers and their families. The research team will work with TBB to develop a robust data collection system that can be used to study the dynamic impacts of skilled-worker visas for refugees. We also collaborate in collecting qualitative information, as key input to our understanding of possible bottlenecks in the success of the program and of the different factors influencing the sustainability and scalability of labour migration interventions for refugees. This study will contribute to three strands of the literature: (1) the academic literature estimating the returns to international migration, (2) the academic literature on possible interventions to facilitate orderly and safe migration flows, and (3) the policy literature on alternative pathways for refugees.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Sterck Olivier

Research team(s)

• Development processes, actors and policies

Project website

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

My research is multidisciplinary in scope, building bridges between development economics, health economics, and refugee studies. With colleagues from the Refugee Economies Programme at the University of Oxford, I am collecting and analysing data on more than 15,000 refugees and members of host populations in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia, exploring themes such as refugee economies, self-reliance, mobility, cross-border trade, and mental health. In partnership with the World Food Programme, I am assessing the impact of various cash transfer models on the socioeconomic outcomes of refugee households and refugee businesses in the Kakuma refugee camp and the Kalobeyei settlement in Kenya. I am also working with the World Bank on various impact evaluations of cash-based assistance programmes in Africa and elsewhere. With the charity Talent Beyond Boundaries, I am also studying the impact of skilled-worker visas for refugees to move and work in the UK and EU.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Sterck Olivier
• Fellow: Sterck Olivier

Research team(s)

• Development processes, actors and policies

Project type(s)

• Research Project

Abstract

The research will assess the impact of shocks (including climate change) on coping strategies and livelihood of affected populations in Africa. Two coping strategies will be examined in details: debt and migration.

Researcher(s)

• Promoter: Sterck Olivier
• Fellow: Rostom Nada

Research team(s)

• Development processes, actors and policies

Project type(s)

• Research Project