The Refugee Trap: The Economics of Displacement
Refugee movements are one of the defining issues of the Twenty-First Century. But what difference does it actually make to be a refugee? This new book by Professor Alexander Betts, Associate Professor Naohiko Omata, Dr Jade Siu and Associate Professor Olivier Sterck addresses this question by examining the economic constraints placed on refugees.
Drawing upon original data collected in camps and cities across East Africa, The Refugee Trap: The Economics of Displacement shows that refugees confront a series of poverty traps that make them systematically worse off compared to citizens. These relate to trauma, dispossession, uprootedness, and rights. By understanding the mechanisms underlying these traps, we can in turn identify the policy interventions needed to support restoration, and thereby address the sources of economic disadvantage that result from forced displacement.
The book, published by Cambridge University Press, is available to buy in print and can also be accessed free of charge online through Cambridge Core.