Refugee Resettlement Research Articles

SHOWING UP AND OPENING UP: CONDUCTING RESEARCH WITH AND ABOUT REFUGEE RESETTLEMENT ORGANIZATIONS

ABSTRACT This article uses research conducted with and about refugee resettlement agencies in traditional and nontraditional destinations to critically assess the opportunities and constraints that social scientists encounter when conducting research on refugee incorporation experiences. Drawing on ethnographic field notes and reflections from two qualitative research projects in the U.S. Northeast and Midwest examining refugee incorporation postresettlement, we analyze how the geographic and institutional contexts in the case studies impacted research outcomes and differences in refugee participants’ showing up and opening up during data collection. We describe how the priorities of refugee resettlement agencies, along with the social locations and positionality of researchers, shaped our relationships and negotiations with institutional gatekeepers, as well as how refugee participants responded to the research. We show how conducting community-based research can introduce overlapping and conflicting reciprocal moral obligations between researchers, refugee participants, and refugee-serving organizations that ultimately shape the research process, decisions, and outcomes.

Refugee relocation: A mechanism design approach

Abstract This paper introduces a new mechanism to distribute refugees within the European Union. The usual approach of assigning mandatory refugee quotas has been heavily opposed by several countries. Our mechanism adjusts these quotas to countries’ preferences on immigration. All countries become weakly better off, even though they do not exchange monetary transfers, which are ethically controversial. We formally model refugee relocation as a division problem with single-peaked preferences. Our ‘quota adjustment mechanism’ is the only one satisfying strategy-proofness, Pareto efficiency and a novel concept of fairness that takes account of the asymmetry across countries.

Queue‐jumping arguments

AbstractA queue‐jumping argument concludes that some course of action is impermissible by likening it to the presumptively impermissible act of jumping a queue. Arguments of this sort may be found in a disparate range of contexts and in support of policies favoured by both left and right. Examples include arguments against private education and private health care but also arguments against accommodations for learning disabilities, refugee resettlement, and birthright citizenship. We infer that, although queue‐jumping arguments are strictly analogies, they constitute a sufficiently distinct class of arguments to justify their separate treatment. The paper proposes an argumentation scheme for queue‐jumping arguments and demonstrates its applicability to some existing arguments of this type.

The EU’s normative justifications of refugee resettlement

Abstract The UNHCR promotes resettlement as an important protection tool to express solidarity with vulnerable refugees and countries of refuge. Yet, as resettlement is discretionary, its guiding principles and objectives are not binding and can be reinterpreted by states and supranational organizations. Against the background of UNHCR’s resettlement guidelines, this article examines the EU’s justifications of resettlement. Advancing theories of pragmatic sociology and based on an in-depth qualitative analysis, it teases out justifications of (1) humanitarianism, (2) border security, and (3) assimilability in EU discourses and policies. Revisiting EU policy advancements from the early 2000s until 2023, it shows that these justifications increasingly interlace and present resettlement as an instrument to protect refugees as well as EU borders and access to EU polities. The article argues for the need to understand the EU as a resettlement actor in its own right, with significant power to reshape resettlement as a protection tool.

Do organisation career support programs draw on career guidance practices? A reading of career support programs for students and families of refugee and new migrant backgrounds

Accessing high-quality career development to support successful transitions into post-compulsory education and employment can be a challenge for newly arrived students of refugee and migrant backgrounds. In Australia, not-for-profit organisations provide career guidance to students within schools that enrol refugee and migrant families. Through programs, not-for-profit organisations can provide mentoring, support and other career services. This research explores the marketing materials of organisation-provided career guidance programs based in Australian secondary schools. A close textual reading of how the programs engage with the discipline and practices of career guidance reveal a deficit framing of students and their families, with limited focus on promoting agency across programs. In light of the increasing resettlement of refugees and migrants in Australia, these findings highlight a need to balance social justice principles with greater engagement with the discipline of career education when enacting career interventions with vulnerable groups.

Outcome-Driven Dynamic Refugee Assignment with Allocation Balancing

Dynamic Assignment Algorithms to Boost Refugee Outcomes Amid record-breaking forced displacement in recent years, researchers and policymakers alike have become increasingly interested in the idea of algorithmically matching refugees to geographic localities in order to optimize their employment or other integration outcomes. In “Outcome-Driven Dynamic Refugee Assignment with Allocation Balancing,” Bansak and Paulson propose new dynamic assignment algorithms for this context designed to maximize a given outcome while meeting the operational needs of refugee resettlement and asylum agencies. Using resettlement data from both the United States and Switzerland, they demonstrate how one algorithm (currently being piloted in Switzerland) can achieve near-optimal results compared with a hindsight-optimal matching. They also show that, because of nonstationarities in the arrival process, outcome maximization (even when subject to location capacity constraints) can result in an imbalanced allocation to localities over time, putting periodic strains on limited local resettlement resources. They account for this problem in a second algorithm that achieves near-perfect balance over time with only a small loss in average outcomes compared with the first algorithm.

Dynamic Placement in Refugee Resettlement

Employment outcomes of resettled refugees depend strongly on where they are placed inside the host country. While the United States sets refugee capacities for communities on an annual basis, refugees arrive and must be placed over the course of the year. We introduce a dynamic allocation system based on potentials derived from dual prices of a linear programming (LP) relaxation to improve employment outcomes. Our algorithm achieves over 98% of the hindsight-optimal employment compared to under 90% of current greedy-like approaches. This dramatic improvement persists even when we incorporate a vast array of practical features of the refugee resettlement process including indivisible families, batching, and uncertainty with respect to the number of future arrivals. Our algorithm is now part of the Annie ™ Moore optimization software used by a leading American refugee resettlement agency.

Pitfalls to countering disinformation: Analyzing local newspaper response to the ‘Syrian refugee rape case’ in Twin Falls, Idaho

ABSTRACT The paper examines the local newspaper’s response to the “Syrian refugee rape case” disinformation campaign in Twin Falls, Idaho, 2016. Drawing upon the pervasive climate of fear surrounding Syrian refugees that followed the 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, the disinformation campaign targeted refugee resettlement efforts in the city. The study employs a critical thematic analysis of prominent journalistic techniques deployed by the paper and the themes used to depict refugees in the news texts. The analysis identifies dominant patterns in the news articles and reveals how these strands drew upon deep-rooted cultural discourses and news coverage routines. The study suggests steps that can be incorporated by local journalists while responding to disinformation. Findings from the study can be applied to other media formats and will play an important role in countering disinformation about refugees.

RESEARCH WITH REFUGEES: WORKING WITH ETHNIC COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

ABSTRACT The U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP) has functioned as a partnership between the federal government and a number of nonprofit partners for more than four decades. Yet resettlement is dependent on more than these particularly visible actors, and also includes states, municipalities, and a range of other organizations. In this paper I look at one part of the resettlement assemblage in the United States—ethnic community-based organizations (ECBOs)—from my own perspective as a researcher who has collaborated with one such entity over a number of years. Focusing on the shifting sands of refugee resettlement and drawing on research with staff at this agency, I examine some of the possibilities and pitfalls of engaging in praxis-oriented refugee research, especially at the local level. I suggest that the particular nuances and context of the ECBO is central to our understanding of contemporary resettlement practice in the United States.

Sport policy and the integration of refugee backgrounded women

Introduction
 Sport is regularly used as a policy-led tool to facilitate outcomes aligned with resettlement and integration of refugees. However, the understanding of the role of sport in the resettlement of refugees is limited by a narrow focus on policy-led integration outcomes and player participation (Nunn et al., 2021). Moreover, refugee men prevail as the dominant participants, in not only sporting programs, but also within the research that informs the sport resettlement agenda (Ekholm et al., 2019). Therefore, the participation of refugee women in sport policy and programming is largely understood through refugee men's experiences, where the role of sport in resettlement and the daily lives of refugee women is less well understood. This research, guided by postcolonial feminism, examined how sport is deployed as a resettlement and integration policy tool for refugee backgrounded women living in Melbourne, Australia, and aimed to determine the relevance of sport in the lives of refugee backgrounded women.
 Methods
 Bacchi (2009) framework for policy analysis examined three government sport policies texts that represented refugee integration as a ‘problem’ to be managed through sport. Interviews with policy actors and sport program providers investigated practices and discourses underpinning refugee women’s inclusion in sport programming. Ethnographic fieldwork conducted over a 12-month period with a culturally diverse community football club, explored the role of sport in the lives of refugee backgrounded mothers and their children. Data was analysed using critical discourse analysis and thematic analysis.
 Results
 Factors at policy level, i.e. the tokenistic presence of women and girls in policy texts, and programming level, i.e. their inclusion into male dominated spaces shaped by neoliberal agendas, continue to resist refugee women’s participation in mainstream sport. Refugee women’s secondary presence in policy and programming was reinforced by temporary, sporadic and competitive funding opportunities that were heavily reliant on participation numbers and hegemonic masculinity, preserving the privilege of the status-quo. Integration in the policy texts was understood as belonging to the dominant Anglo-Australian culture, but belonging was contested, and the refugee mothers in this study understood belonging as being to their own cultures. Their sporting club was a space of belonging, stress relief, social connection, agency and cultural maintenance. The sport club was an important part of their lives as individuals, and was an important aspect of parenting and motherhood.
 Discussion/Conclusion
 Our study indicates that policy level and policy actors that promote the inclusion and integration of refugees through sport regularly marginalise refugee women and place them as tokenistic participants. Our findings suggest that ethno-specific, community driven sporting spaces are not oppositional, but play a complementary role in policy-led integration agendas. Sport can play an important role in resettlement among refugee backgrounded mothers and their families, where it offers a stable foundation from which other outcomes and benefits are able to facilitated. If sport has the capacity to facilitate positive social outcomes in line with settlement and integration, then greater efforts must be made to ensure women and girls are included and represented in the sport rhetoric (Ekholm et al., 2019).
 References
 Bacchi, C. (2009). Analysing Policy: What’s the problem represented to be? Pearson.
 Ekholm, D., Dahlstedt, M., & Rönnbäck, J. (2019). Problematizing the absent girl: Sport as a means of emancipation and social inclusion. Sport in Society, 22(6), 1043-1061. https://doi.org/10.1080/17430437.2018.1505870
 Nunn, C., Spaaij, R., & Luguetti, C. (2021). Beyond integration: Football as a mobile, transnational sphere of belonging for refugee-background young people. Leisure Studies, 41(1), 42-55. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614367.2021.1962393

Refugee Placemaking and Community in San Francisco: Building a Little Saigon Community in San Francisco, from the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation Archives (1980-2000)

The article draws from Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation (TNDC) archival materials, housed in the San Francisco History Center, to present a case study of how post-1975 Vietnam War refugees (from Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) and a collection of actors collectively affected the local space (1980-2000). This article (1) examines the discourse of “neighborhood stabilization” amidst housing precarity, (2) discusses the implications of refugees as “revitalizers” and “entrepreneurs,” and (3) documents the role of community partnerships and urban planning in building a Little Saigon community in the heart of San Francisco. Overall, the article argues that efforts to build affordable housing within a unique urban planning environment were instrumental in the formation of the Little Saigon community of San Francisco, and it demonstrates how local affordable housing and the built environment in refugee resettlement sits at the nexus of competing discourses about development and about inclusion.

Puppetry to educate social work practitioners: Telling the refugee story

Summary The complexities of refugee resettlement are difficult to comprehend, and alternative approaches to education may enhance empathy. Puppetry's art form often engages broad audiences, allowing puppets to tell important stories. This project developed a research-based educational puppet show to increase understanding of refugees in the United States (US). Using a mixed-method approach, this exploratory study (1) interviewed eleven refugees from five origin countries; (2) analyzed the interviews for salient themes; (3) developed a “master” play based on emergent themes; (4) delivered the play through puppetry; and (5) empirically assessed the efficacy of puppetry in disseminating information about refugees. Findings Five overarching themes regarding refugee resettlement emerged from the interviews, namely, (1) economic concerns; (2) language barriers; (3) socio-cultural differences; (4) misperceptions; and (5) altered family dynamics. Almost all 107 respondents who completed a pre- and post-show survey evidenced having gained new knowledge about resettlement in the areas of (i) refugee status; (ii) the arrival process; (iii) economic realities; (iii) adaptation issues; and (iv) refugee perceptions of opportunities in the US. Applications The salient findings of the interviews were consistent with extant literature on refugee resettlement and the 40-min research-based puppet show confirmed that puppetry can be an alternative, or supplementary, training tool. Puppetry brings life to didactic presentations for social workers and other service providers through effective portrayals of difficulties faced by both refugee and host in the adaptation process. It also suggests that puppetry can sensitize and educate practitioners on issues that can be controversial.

A scoping review on the barriers to and facilitators of health services utilisation related to refugee settlement in regional or rural areas of the host country

BackgroundHealthcare access and equity are human rights. Worldwide conflicts, violence, and persecution have increased the number of people from refugee or refugee-like backgrounds. Because urban areas are already densely populated, governments have aimed to increase refugee resettlement in rural and/or regional areas. Because of the complex healthcare needs of refugees, this creates challenges for healthcare service providers. Identifying barriers to accessing healthcare in rural areas is therefore important to better inform policy settings and programmes that will provide culturally appropriate patient-centred care to the refugee community.MethodsThis review scoped 22 papers written in English between 2018 and July 2023 from five countries (Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Bangladesh, and Lebanon) in order to provide an overview of the barriers and possible solutions to facilitate refugees’ access to healthcare.ResultsThe reviewed literature summarised the perceptions of at least 3,561 different refugees and 259 rural health service providers and/or administrators and identified major challenges. These include communication (illiteracy in the resettlement country language and lack of a suitable interpreter), lack of cultural awareness of health services, discrimination, and access difficulties (transportation, availability of health specialist services, cost). As a consequence, it was identified that improving access to affordable housing, employment through credential recognition, competence-level education for children, facilitating language training, and adapting health information would increase resettlement and encourage access to healthcare.ConclusionsRefugees face significant barriers to accessing and engaging with healthcare services. This impacts their integration into rural communities and increases the prevalence of psychosocial issues like feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem, a lack of autonomy, and a lack of empowerment over informed decision-making, especially for women, jobless men, and the elderly. These findings support the need for additional support for refugees and healthcare providers to improve language proficiency and cultural competency. Policymakers need to improve the availability and accessibility of employment, housing accessibility, and service mobility. Additionally, more research is needed to assess the efficacy of emerging innovative programmes that aim to close the gap by delivering culturally appropriate patient-centred care to refugee communities in rural areas.

Transdisciplinary Methodology for Refugee Resettlement Process

This paper’s primary goal is to present a novel transdisciplinary (TD) methodology for theresettlement of refugees. Numerous factors, such as budgetary and cost concerns, federal law and policy,administrative difficulties, security screening protocols, education and training, housing and health, crimerate, socioeconomic issues, and many more, can be considered that influence the refugee resettlementprocess. Refugee resettlement is a complex matter with numerous factors to consider. Using the InteractiveCollective Intelligent Management (ICIM) Workshop, the working group developed transdisciplinary collectiveintelligence to investigate the issue. The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) was used to develop and clarifya list of issues about the complex issue through the survey. A condensed example of refugee resettlementthat has ten TD solutions and six complex issue challenges created with ICIM. Using TD integrated tools,TD solutions to create effective administrative processes that will significantly affect the challenging issuesassociated with refugee resettlement have been examined.

Cambodian American social services providers in pursuit of social justice for the well-being of the Cambodian American community members

ABSTRACT Since the Khmer Rouge genocide in the late 1970s and the subsequent mass relocation of Cambodian refugees to the United States, the Cambodian community has struggled to achieve social justice and economic parity. Some challenges can be attributed to barriers of accessing care such as cultural and linguistic appropriateness of available services. Given these barriers, social services providers within the Cambodian American community have used various strategies to meet the needs in an effort to promote social justice. In this qualitative study, purposive sampling was used to conduct 20 semi-structured interviews with Cambodian American social services providers who work for ethnic agencies serving the Cambodian community. Data analysis followed the constant comparative method. Findings show that Cambodian providers foster social justice by: 1) promoting social responsibility to serve the community; 2) advancing cultural capital, cultivating Cambodian culture, and remembering history for future generations; and 3) creating social networks which serve as protective barriers from social isolation. Not all communities within the United States have the resources to develop ethnic specific services. Therefore, mainstream social workers must advocate and promote greater accessibility of culturally informed services that foster a level of care and understanding to work with Cambodian Americans.

Predictors of Chronic Debilitating Conditions Among Refugees Resettled in the United States

Refugees who have resettled in the United States encounter numerous challenges, including poor health conditions. However, knowledge of risk factors contributing to chronic debilitating conditions among refugees is scarce. Therefore, this study examined the prevalence and potential factors associated with chronic debilitating conditions within the U.S. refugee population. This study utilized secondary data from the 2019 Annual Survey of Refugees (ASR) involving 1007 refugees aged 16 years or older resettled in the U.S. between 2014 and 2018. The prevalence estimates were obtained using chi-square tests, and multiple logistic regression was used to determine the significant association between predictor variables and chronic debilitating conditions for refugees in the United States. About 25.5% of the refugees reported having chronic debilitating conditions. Regression results showed that being an older refugee and having adjusted immigration status to become a permanent resident was associated with higher odds of reporting chronic debilitating conditions. However, refugees who were currently working, married, and with good English language proficiency were associated with a lower likelihood of reporting chronic debilitating conditions. Gender and education levels of refugees were not significantly associated with chronic debilitating conditions after covariates adjustments. Interventions should focus on increasing access to education, employment opportunities to enhance health literacy, and financial resources to access healthcare crucial for mitigating chronic debilitating conditions. In addition, addressing the language barriers through language and interpretation services in clinical settings can also improve healthcare access, thus reducing the risk of chronic debilitating conditions among refugees resettled in the United States. Keywords: Chronic debilitating conditions, English proficiency, Immigration, Refugees, United States.

THE USE OF METAL-TIMBER STRUCTURES IN THE RECONSTRUCTION OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS FOR THE RENEWAL OF RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

The use of modern renovation and reconstruction methods to transform industrialbuildings into residential ones, especially in the context of post-war reconstruction efforts in Ukraine, is becoming particularly relevant. To reduce the financial burden of new construction and facilitate the resettlement of refugees from Russian aggression, it is expedient to reconstruct existing decommissioned industrial buildings in ruined cities and migration zones into residential premises. Considering the specific volumetric and spatial solutions of industrial buildings, a significant amount of work is required to reorganize the internal space of such premises for adaptation as residential ones. At the same time, the frames of production premises, due to significant distances between load-bearing structures,allow for more open and spacious premises with modern loft-style interiors. One of the ways to effectively achieve this goal is to install additional floors using metal-timber beams in industrial buildings. The low weight and high load-bearing capacity of such structures make it possible to create additional premises within the existing building volume, with minimal additional loads on the loadbearing frame and building foundations. This approach is not only economically efficient but alsooffers a unique modern way of organizing the interior for comfortable living.The aim of the research is to determine the efficiency and feasibility of using metal-timber I-beam profiles in the process of transforming industrial buildings into residential spaces. The study analyzes both domestic and foreign experience in the renewal and reconstruction of industrial buildings. The conclusions indicate that various functional adaptations of industrial buildings or complexes are possible depending on the project goals, as well as their further integration into the existing city infrastructure.However, the implementation of this concept faces the challenge of the limit of the structural load that can be applied to existing load-bearing frame structures.The reconstruction project must ensure the sustainability (or minimization) of additional loads, which allows reducing the required scope of work,project implementation time, and minimizing investment. Taking into account the industrial nature of the original interior of production premises, the loft style is best suited to the concept of renovating industrial buildings into residential ones. The аpplication of the loft style for the reconstruction of industrial zones is recommended as an economically advantageous option, supported by global experience. Special attention should be paid to the format of transforming production premises into residential ones using lightweight metal-timber roofs,which can become an organic part of the interior space.Scientific novelty. The reconstruction of industrial buildings for residential purposes is a complex and multifaceted process that requires thoughtful decisions and a competent approach. In this article, we will explore the advantages of using structures made of combined metal-timber systems to create technical solutions that meet the requirements of economic viability, environmental friendliness, andenergy efficiency in the reconstruction process.Practical significance. The application of metaltimber constructions allows for the rapid and efficient restoration of industrial buildings, transforming them into residential housing to address the shortage of living space due to the displacement of refugees from Russian aggression. These constructions have significantly lower weight and cost compared to traditional materials such as concrete or steel, while ensuring high strength and reliability.Additionally, they are made from environmentally friendly renewable materials and have an attractive appearance, making them an ideal choice for the reconstruction of industrial buildings into residential housing.

Role of Gardening in Mental Health, Food Security, and Economic Well-Being in Resettled Refugees: A Mixed Methods Study

Executive Summary Home and community gardening is emerging as a beneficial intervention for resettled refugee populations. Using an interdisciplinary lens, we examined whether gardening influences mental health, food security, and economic well-being. A mixed methods study ( n = 29) was conducted with quantitative surveys to assess indicators of mental health, food security, and economic well-being. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews explored gardener participants’ experience of gardening benefits ( n = 10). Participants had on average been in the United States for seven and a half years, with most having lived in refugee camps prior to arrival. Findings showed gardeners reporting fewer symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma, and lesser food insecurity than non-gardeners, and similar indicators of economic well-being. Non-parametric regression analysis showed that being a gardener significantly predicted less psychological distress. Qualitative data substantiated these findings with gardeners reporting improved mental health, closer family, social relationships and connections with culture, and more access to fresh and organic food. The multiple, simultaneous benefits of gardening reported here provide strong support for building community-based health promotion programs to assist refugee integration, including long after arrival. The study further highlights the importance of examining these interrelated factors of mental health, food security, and economic well-being simultaneously and reevaluating the established goals of refugee resettlement, particularly in the United States. We offer the following recommendations: • Policymakers and refugee resettlement practitioners should integrate culturally appropriate community-based health promotion efforts in refugee programs long after the initial resettlement period. • Researchers on refugee integration outcomes should include interdisciplinary perspectives that offer comprehensive understanding of processes related to health outcomes. • Policymakers on refugee resettlement and integration should consider the linkages between mental health, food security, and economic well-being.

Welcoming Strangers: Protestant Churches’ Involvement in Refugee Resettlement in the United States

AbstractProviding shelters and other aid for refugees is one of the core Christian principles, but there exists a great divide in Protestant churches’ response to the refugee crisis. This study examines what contributes to the divide, focusing on how various congregational characteristics relate to churches’ interests and involvement in refugee resettlement. The analysis of the 2018–2019 National Congregations Study data reveals that political conservatism within a church is linked to the disinterest in refugee resettlement. The results also show that churches with more members who have a bachelor's degree and churches participating in international humanitarian works are more likely to have discussions on refugee resettlement. In terms of direct involvement in helping refugees, congregational members’ migration experiences seem to make a significant difference.

The Time Politics of Refugee Resettlement and Higher Education in the United States

This paper sheds light on experiences within systems of US resettlement and its structures of (un)welcome. There is considerable evidence that the policy framework of these systems complicates the possibilities of higher education for refugees. Drawing on interviews with residents with a refugee background and resettlement service providers, we explore how US refugee resettlement policy creates obstacles for refugees in pursuing higher education and professional work by imposing a particular regimentation of time on refugees’ lives that impels them to rapidly integrate into low-income employment markets. We argue that such a time politics of speed hastens the resettlement process to advance the goal that residents with refugee background obtain rapid economic self-sufficiency and discuss the policy implications.