Integration Of Refugees Research Articles

Explored Socioeconomic and Cultural Conflicts Emanating from Refugee Integration in Meheba Refugee Settlement, Zambia: Husserlian Phenomenology Approach

This study explored socioeconomic and cultural conflicts emanating from refugee integration in Meheba Refugee Settlement, Zambia. The objectives were to: (i) establish challenges associated with refugee integration in Meheba, (ii) describe socioeconomic and cultural conflicts emanating from refugee integration in Meheba, and (iii) explore gaps in the actions taken by stakeholders to deal with socioeconomic and cultural conflicts emanating from refugee integration in Meheba. Data was qualitatively generated by interviewing 13 participants, selected purposively and through snowballing in a Husserlian Phenomenological approach. Slothful award of legal identity documents, rampant unemployment, intolerable controls and restrictions in conducting businesses, inadequate sustainable farming enablers and poor provision of public services were established socioeconomic challenges hindering smooth refugee integration in Meheba while language barriers and lapses in customary practises were cultural challenges. These challenges mushroom identity conflicts waged among integrating parties due to scarce and imbalanced distribution of resources and opportunities. Thus, among others, law reforms, policy intervention, and community-based conflict management programmes were recommended.

Socio-cultural integration of Afghan refugees in Türkiye: the role of traumatic events, post-displacement stressors and mental health.

Socio-cultural integration of refugees has received scant attention in the academic literature. Türkiye hosts the largest number of refugees, including Afghans, as the second largest asylum-seeking group in Türkiye. There is a dearth of research into the mental health and integration of Afghan refugees in Türkiye. The aim of the present study was to investigate socio-cultural integration outcomes among Afghan refugees in Türkiye by considering the role of traumatic events and post-displacement stressors. The role of mental health in integration outcomes was further examined. A cross-sectional, web-based survey study with 785 Afghan refugees in Türkiye was conducted between April and June 2021. Data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics, potentially traumatic events (PTEs) (Harvard Trauma Questionnaire), post-displacement stressors (Post-Migration Living Difficulties Checklist), mental health symptoms (Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25), social integration- social bonds (contact with co-ethnic group members) and social bridges (contact with the host community)- and cultural integration (Vancouver Index of Acculturation). Structural equation modelling was conducted to test the hypothesized relationship between conflict and displacement-related stressors, mental health and socio-cultural integration. Findings showed that conflict-related traumatic events and post-displacement stressors significantly predicted higher mental health symptoms. Experiencing traumatic events significantly predicted higher levels of social bridges, adopting destination culture and lower level of maintaining heritage culture. Mental health problems predicted the relationship between stressors related to forced displacement and integration outcomes-social bridges and adopting destination culture. These findings highlight the role of mental health as an indispensable resource for socio-cultural integration. Further, conflict and displacement-related stressors are important determinants of socio-cultural integration among Afghan refugees in Türkiye. Exposure to PTEs and post-displacement stressors were significant risk factors for the mental health and socio-cultural integration of Afghan refugees in Türkiye. These stressful experiences deteriorate refugees' mental health, which hinders their integration into the host society.

Residents’ attitudes toward refugee integration: The role of shared identity and refugees’ perceived openness to novel experiences

Refugees often have little control over the circumstances of migration, including their destination country. Receiving-society residents may thus perceive that refugees have relatively low interest in the host culture, resulting in skepticism towards refugee integration. In five studies conducted with German residents (total N = 866), we examined ways to overcome such perceptions via a vignette-based manipulation of a refugee's ostensible openness and social identity. Overall, participants with a more right-wing political orientation exhibited more positive attitudes toward refugee integration and greater willingness to help after reading about a (female) refugee who was (vs. was not) open to experience and who shared (vs. did not share) a key aspect of their identity, namely being a student (Studies 1 and 2a) or fan of the same soccer club (Study 4). For a male refugee, these effects did not emerge (Study 2b). In Study 3, non-student participants reported less willingness to help when a student (vs. non-student) refugee was open (vs. not open) to experience. For desire for integration and willingness to help, meta-analytic syntheses revealed robust effect sizes for the three-way interaction between openness, shared identity, and political orientation. Thus, residents’ attitudes toward refugee integration and helping intentions were shaped by refugees’ perceived personality (openness), residents’ political orientation, and by residents’ and refugees’ shared identity.

How the African Union can Improve the Protection and Integration of Refugees in Africa: An Analysis of Policy Frameworks and Implementation Strategies

The refugee crisis in Africa is a growing concern, with millions of people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, and natural disasters. The African Union (AU) has a critical role to play in protecting refugees and promoting their integration into African societies. However, despite the AU’s efforts to address the refugee crisis, significant challenges remain, including inadequate policy frameworks, lack of implementation strategies, and limited resources. This research topic seeks to explore how the African Union can improve the protection and integration of refugees in Africa. The study will examine the current policy frameworks and implementation strategies adopted by the AU to address the refugee crisis, as well as the challenges and gaps in these frameworks. The study will also analyze the impact of external factors such as global migration patterns, economic downturns, and climate change on the refugee crisis in Africa. The proposed study’s original contribution is that it focuses specifically on the African Union’s role in addressing the refugee crisis in Africa, which has received limited attention in the literature. The study’s findings will be useful to policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders working in the field of refugee protection and integration, both in Africa and globally.

Can Entrepreneurship Enable Economic and Social Integration of Refugees? A Comparison of the Economic, Social and Policy Context for Refugee Entrepreneurship in the UK and Germany

This article examines critically the support systems necessary for economic integration of refugees by analysing the economic, social and policy context of refugee entrepreneurship in Germany and the UK. Current economic integration policies in both countries focus primarily on assisting refugees to find employment while appearing to neglect the value of refugee entrepreneurship as a viable option for integrating refugees into the destination country’s economy. Assuming economic integration of refugees is a fundamental socio-economic goal in both countries, our aim was to examine the challenges that could be addressed with regard to future policies for targeting refugee entrepreneurship and augmenting both entrepreneurship development and entrepreneurial policy formulation in host societies. We introduce a theoretical framework building on Wauters and Lambrecht (2008 , Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 34(6), 895–915) and use inductive thematic analysis ( Guest et al., 2013 , Collecting qualitative data: A field manual for applied research) to examine which variables impact refugees. We identify how regulations, measures and policies in different environments affect those variables. We also examine the concept of mixed embeddedness ( Kloosterman et al., 1999 , International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 23(2), 252–266), and its appropriateness for understanding the emergent entrepreneurial activity of refugees and the support systems that can aid opportunity-based integration. Our findings show that first, the most common challenges refugee entrepreneurs encounter are (a) seed capital, (b) language barriers, (c) location, (d) embeddedness and (e) knowledge about the local market. Second, there are no significant differences in the challenges that refugee entrepreneurs encounter, between the UK and Germany. Third, we also find that the support system for refugee entrepreneurs is larger in Germany than in the UK due to the capacity of government and civil society support. We conclude that combating downward occupational mobility, and fully using the potential and expertise of refugees, refugee entrepreneurship could be considered as a viable option for economic integration because refugee communities offer unique opportunities for potentially expanding the scope and style of entrepreneurship in host countries.

Enhancing the social integration of people with disabilities among Ukrainian refugees in the urban environment of Georgia

The article reveals the main factors that influence the integration of refugees from Ukraine, including persons with disabilities, into host communities in Georgia. Social integration is a growing concern in global migration studies. The study aimed to analyze what factors influence the social integration of refugees with disabilities into the host community environment in Tbilisi (Georgia). Through field observation and semi-structured interviews with volunteers and members of non-governmental organizations providing services to Ukrainian refugees, including people with disabilities, the study examined how Ukrainians’ participation in Georgian community life contributes to social integration. The results of the study highlight three dominant themes that permeate all three levels of socialization of refugees from Ukraine in a large city (micro, meso, and macro levels): the charitable model of social attitudes that portrays persons with disabilities as victims who deserve compassion; invisibility; and activity and resistance. The article also highlights the peculiarities of the integration process of Ukrainian refugees, which are typical for Georgia.

Labor integration of refugees in a socio-economic perspective

As in most European countries, as in our country, migrants have lower employment rates. However, there are differences between different groups of migrants. Refugees, as a separate and more specific migrant group, are much less integrated in the labour market. Their concentration tends to be in larger cities and regions, which creates numerous challenges for local authorities and labour markets. On the other hand, tracking the work, benefits and effects of refugee integration can support a more systematic approach to studying their labour integration based on actual activities. Given this, the purpose of this report is to emphasize the labour integration of refugees in a socio-economic perspective with a focus on the benefits of the process in the territory of Sofia. Research methods include synthesis and analysis of various sources, as well as review of the work of organizations, institutions and structures involved in the process. The results represent efforts and progress in relation to the labour integration of refugees, through cooperation and building sustainable partnerships. The conclusions show that in this way, not only policies, measures and good practices can be created to serve for the more successful integration of refugees, but also to achieve benefits and effects for the cities with their higher concentration of economic and social point of view.

Феномен транснационализма в романах А. Хидера

In modern realities, works written by immigrant authors have become an integral part of the multinational culture of Germany. A native of Iraq, Abbas Khider is one of the most prominent representatives of the immigrant segment of German-language literature in Germany. The difficulties that arise during the integration of refugees into the multicultural European society represent a topical issue in the current context of globalization, which explains the popularity of this theme in works by immigrant writers. The subject of the article is the phenomenon of transnationalism in A. Khider’s novels. The study analyzes four works of the author – The Village Indian (2008), The President’s Oranges (2011), A Slap in the Face (2016), and Letter to the Eggplant Republic (2013). The article aims to investigate how the phenomenon of transnationalism is represented in A. Khider’s works. The research objectives were as follows: to consider and clarify the term ‘transnationalism’ in the context of modern progressive globalization; to analyze the transnational models of relations reflected in the system of images of the works under consideration; to explore the formation of the characters’ self-identification. The study is novel in that it represents the first attempt in Russian literary criticism to analyze certain features of the poetics of A. Khider’s novels, in particular the phenomenon of transnationalism as presented in the literary space created by the author. The results of the study expand the understanding of the state of modern German-language literature, with works of immigrant writers being its integral part.

Revolutionary Refugee Policy: Salvadorans and Statecraft in Sandinista Nicaragua (1979–1990)

AbstractDuring the 1980s, more than 20,000 Salvadorans fleeing the violence of the Salvadoran Civil War entered the neighboring country of Nicaragua. Their flight was part of a larger multidirectional migration out of El Salvador in which Salvadorans sought refuge across Central and North America. In response to this unprecedented influx of Salvadoran refugee men, women, and children, the Nicaraguan government—newly under the control of the revolutionary Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN)—declared that all refugees would be permitted “the opportunity to survive and produce.” This article argues that the timing of the refugees’ arrival proved mutually beneficial for both the Salvadorans and the FSLN by illustrating how Sandinista officials sought to further agrarian reform projects via refugee integration into agricultural cooperatives. As such, Nicaraguan refugee policy functioned as an integral part of Sandinista statecraft. Through an analysis of refugee-produced sources, government and UNHCR documents, and news reports, this article sheds new light on the entwined histories of Salvadoran refugees and the Sandinista state in the transnational context of the late Cold War period in Central America.

Walls, Not Bridges: Germany's Post-WWII Journey with Refugee Integration

Walls, Not Bridges: Germany's Post-WWII Journey with Refugee Integration

Leaders' Spiritual Identity and Refugee Integration in German Family Firms: An Empirical Study

Leaders' Spiritual Identity and Refugee Integration in German Family Firms: An Empirical Study

“Just say hi”: Forced migrants’ constructions of local neighbourhoods as spaces of inclusion and exclusion in South Wales

Integration is often assumed to be a public good and both UK and devolved governments have developed refugee integration strategies to address this aspiration. Within these strategies the development of social bridges with members of the host society is seen as a key indicator of integration, however the local neighbourhood is often neglected in research. This paper reports the findings of a discursive psychological analysis of interviews with 19 refugees and asylum seekers about their integration in Wales, UK. It focuses on the ways in which participants discursively constructed accounts of their neighbourhood relationships. The analysis highlights the importance of looking at the ways in which place is characterised by refugees and asylum seekers and the implications that this has for the kind of person who does, or does not, belong in that place. We demonstrate that most participants constructed their accounts using a discourse of ‘just saying hi’ and suggest that in using such a repertoire participants went to rhetorical lengths to construct themselves as respecting the normative principles of interaction amongst neighbours. Participants lives were largely circumscribed within the home and neighbourhoods were positioned as banal spaces in which stability take precedence over closer relationships with neighbours. The findings suggest that asylum dispersal policy of accommodation on a ‘no-choice’ basis and the use of housing in ‘difficult to let’ areas may be actively impeding other policies aimed at refugee integration.

Inclusion of Ukrainian children with special needs in Germany

Today, in the context of the war in Ukraine, more and more Ukrainian refugees are seeking refuge in European countries, and a significant number of Ukrainians are temporarily staying in Germany. As of April 2023, 205,000 children and young people from Ukraine are integrated into the German education system. A particular challenge is the inclusion of children with special educational needs in Germany and all over Europe. This article analyzes the current situation and main challenges related to the integration of Ukrainians in Germany. The purpose of the article is to explore the main difficulties associated with the inclusion of children with special needs in the German education system. For coping with this huge and complicated problem, we should develop some strategies for teachers and parents to make them understand the causes of the main difficulties; also we should give them instruments to improve current situation and minimize maladaptation in the future. The first step for all these purposes is to analyze the near future: explore the main challenges for Ukrainian refugees in the German education system and analyze the prospects for efficient inclusion of this group of students into German education institutions. In the course of the study, based on the results of a survey of parents of children with special needs, the main challenges for children with special needs and their parents when integrating into German society were recognized. They are conditions of chronic stress, language barrier, and difficulties with integration into peer groups. As for the school environment, the main problems are the lack of Ukrainian-speaking teachers and insufficient attention of the teaching staff to the processes of socialization, integration and behavioral characteristics of children. Strengthening special support for children in the educational environment is also desirable. The processes of comprehensive integration of Ukrainian refugees into both educational and social environments require further study, because most of the problems faced by children with disabilities and their parents in Germany are also characteristic of the wider refugee population from Ukraine in Europe. Keywords: Ukrainian refugees, inclusion, children with special needs, German education system.

РОЛЬ ЗАЙНЯТОСТІ У ПРОЦЕСІ КУЛЬТУРНОЇ АДАПТАЦІЇ УКРАЇНСЬКИХ БІЖЕНЦІВ У СЛОВАЧЧИНІ

The modern world is witnessing mass migration, including refugees from Ukraine seeking subsidiary protection in various countries, including Slovakia. This article is dedicated to exploring a crucial aspect of the lives of Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia, namely, the role of employment in their cultural adaptation. The author analyzes how gaining employment influences their ability to successfully integrate into a new environment, as well as how it impacts the formation of cultural connections between Ukrainians and Slovaks. The article also examines the factors affecting this process, identifying challenges that arise during employment. It investigates how Ukrainian refugees integrate into Slovak society through their employment and how this contributes to an improved quality of life and fosters favorable conditions for mutual understanding. Based on the research findings, recommendations are formulated to develop initiatives aimed at supporting the cultural adaptation of Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia through improving employment conditions and integration into the labor market. Cultural adaptation of Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia largely depends on their success in the labor market. Critical factors include the ability to find employment, receive fair compensation, integrate into the local community through work, and adapt linguistically. Ukrainian refugees have opportunities for employment, but they often face challenges such as low wages, difficulties in recognizing qualifications, and various socio-cultural barriers. Employment significantly influences the integration of Ukrainian refugees into Slovak society, aiding them in acquiring new cultural norms and interacting with local residents. To enhance the cultural adaptation of refugees in Slovakia, it is essential to intensify language learning support, establish professional training and retraining programs, facilitate the recognition of qualifications, and enhance adaptation support within local communities. Overall, the cultural adaptation of Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia is a complex process requiring further in-depth research. However, ensuring access to employment and providing support in the labor market can significantly ease this process and promote integration into a new society.

Obstacles to validating professional experience and the productive integration of refugees: a study among recruiters in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo

Resumo Nos últimos anos, as centenas de milhares de pessoas que chegam ao Brasil em busca de refúgio têm sido acolhidas e, depois de supridas as necessidades emergenciais, recebem apoio para recomeçar sua trajetória profissional e garantir o sustento e a autonomia para si e sua família. Para apoiar esse ciclo de proteção social, foram produzidos dados sobre as competências dos(as) imigrantes, de modo que fosse permitido aprimorar as orientações e capacitações, mas pouco se sabia sobre os entraves para a validação das experiências e possível contratação desses(as) profissionais. Diante desse cenário, foi conduzida proposta inédita de questionamento das empresas, por meio de seus departamentos de recrutamento e seleção, com o objetivo de captar as circunstâncias técnicas e subjetivas que poderiam interferir na validação da experiência e da qualificação dos(as) imigrantes em busca de refúgio, culminando na aprovação ou recusa dessas pessoas no processo de seleção. Esta foi uma pesquisa de abordagem quantitativa e exploratória conduzida com profissionais de recrutamento e seleção atuantes em empresas da Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, que responderam a um questionário virtual em amostra não probabilística. A pesquisa captou que os(as) respondentes não dominam os procedimentos para a contratação de refugiados(as), ignorando pontos da legislação, e que nutrem receios infundados sobre auditorias trabalhistas. Além desses fatos, foi identificada a perpetuação de estereótipos raciais que desfavorecem africanos(as) e centro-americanos(as) e que privilegiam profissionais de origem europeia ou norte-americana. No fim, foi colocado em discussão o papel das organizações empresariais no ciclo de proteção social e inserção produtiva de grupos em alta vulnerabilidade.

Access to Language Training and the Local Integration of Refugees

Access to Language Training and the Local Integration of Refugees

Ukraińscy uchodźcy wojenni na niemieckim rynku pracy

The Federal Republic of Germany, next to Poland, accepted the largest number of war refugees from Ukraine (over 1 million people), granting them easier access to awide range of social benefits equal to those available to people permanently residing in Germany. The aim of this policy encompasses the integration of refugees into German society and within the German labour market. It stems from the declarations of asignificant number of refugees to remain in Germany forever (approx. 27% of all refugees) or longer (12% may stay for several years), as well as Germany’s need for skilled labour. The relatively low age of refugees, their gender structure – predominance of young women, and education – 70 percent have university degrees, as well as the declared high readiness to work, may be an opportunity for the German labour market to compensate for the permanent shortages in its ageing society. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs assumes that in the years 2022-2026 alone, Germany will be in need of 240,000 workers able to handle high-skill jobs. To overcome the threat of losing prosperity and to maintain its potential, the German economy has been using labour forces of immigrants for years. This is why the inflow of alarge number of people in their productive age may be an opportunity for the German labour market, but only if these people are professionally active to a larger extent. This is also important for public opinion, critically observing the German government’s migration policy for years.

Intercultural Capital and Social Integration of Refugees

Migration is linked over time to the features that constitute a process of civilization. In order to meet subsistence needs in the host country, migrant populations seek employment opportunities and improved living conditions. This reality is reflected through the interaction of the host society with newcomers at the level of social inclusion, which may be hampered by limited cultural capacities and resources. At the local level, limited cooperation between local authorities, intercultural tensions lack of equal access to selected cultural goods, lack of structural approaches and the reluctance of some organisations to the wider cultural spectrum to maintain participation in common social life are factors influencing social inclusion prospects. However, where cultural diversity thrives, diversity is protected by critical actors in local communities and intercultural capital is strengthened, as social cohesion is promoted and possible tensions arising from different perceptions and attitudes towards value models are addressed and cultural goods. The aim of the article is to record and study the range of cultural differences that arise and affect the process of social integration of refugees. This contribution was made in the framework of Action 1.6 “[eAegean_DIG REFUGE] Refugee Crisis Knowledge and Action Platform”, as it is part of the Research e-Infrastructure “[e-Aegean R & D Network] R & D Network in Aegean Archipelagos: Supporting Regional Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Excellence” {Code Number MIS 5046494} which is implemented within the framework of the “Regional Excellence” Action of the Operational Program “Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation”. The action was co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Greek State [Partnership Agreement 2014-2020].

Between Uncertainty and Integration: Exploring the Influence of Legal Precarity on Refugee Socio-Economic Integration in Sweden

The importance of legal status for the integration of refugees and other migrants has long been recognised by researchers. Previous literature generally indicates that an unfavourable legal status often has adverse consequences on socio-economic integration outcomes. The aim of this article is to compare the socio-economic outcomes of two refugee groups from Bosnia-Herzegovina who came to Sweden during the 1990s. The two groups are arguably similar, with the principal difference being their legal status upon arrival. To elucidate, one group was able to regulate its legal status after an average of eight months after arrival in Sweden, while the other group waited for longer than four years. We analyse the short- and long-term outcomes of both adult and child refugees. Our results differ from those obtained in most previous studies conducted in other social contexts. We find that the difference in the length of the waiting period and the level of exposure to a precarious legal status did not result in a substantial difference in the degree of long-term socio-economic integration among refugees from these two groups. For most indicators, the differences are marginal and not significant, especially when looking at the outcomes of child refugees. Moreover, when differences in outcomes are observed, they tend to favour the precarious status group (except for the earnings in the year 2000).

Labour Market Integration for Refugees. Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Perspectives on Policy Implementation Gaps in Sweden

Labour Market Integration for Refugees. Street-Level Bureaucrats’ Perspectives on Policy Implementation Gaps in Sweden