Resettlement Implementation Research Articles

Impact assessment of the governance principles in the implementation of dam-induced involuntary resettlement on host communities: the case of the Bui Dam in Ghana

ABSTRACT Any form of resettlement of people requires applying some governance processes to guide its implementation processes. Resettlement and governance – are entangled because acceptability and ownership of a resettlement programme by community members are associated with the manner of application of good governance principles. Several studies have focused on the impact of resettlements on affected people and communities, however, little is known about the impact of the governance principles being applied in the implementation of resettlements on the hosts. This study seeks to investigate the impact of governance principles applied in the implementation of dam-induced involuntary resettlement on host communities. A good governance principles framework was used, using the case of the Bui Dam resettlement in Ghana. Findings of the paper, obtained via a mixed-methods approach, indicate that in the Bui Dam resettlement, the governance processes failed to protect the hosts’ interests as they perceived public participation and transparency to be low and no fair compensation received. The study demonstrates that governance processes of resettlements in the Global South appear feeble to protect host communities’ interests.

Implementing the Refugee Resettlement Process: Diverging Objectives, Interdependencies and Power Relations

Refugee resettlement is implemented by many different national and international stakeholders who operate in different locations and on the basis of sometimes diverging objectives. The implementation of the resettlement process has thus been characterized as multi-level governance, with resettlement stakeholders coordinating and negotiating the selection of refugees for resettlement. Still, literature on the implementation of refugee resettlement has remained very limited and has mainly focused on one specific stakeholder or stage of the process. In addition, a common conceptualization of the different stages is currently missing in academic literature. To address this research gap, the article proposes a common terminology of all stages of the resettlement process. Highlighting the diversity of resettlement programs, the article relies on a comparative case study of the German resettlement and humanitarian admission programs from Jordan and Turkey. By drawing on the concept of multi-level governance, the article examines diverging objectives and interdependencies between resettlement stakeholders, such as UNHCR and resettlement countries. As a result, the article argues that the increasing emphasis on national selection criteria by resettlement countries, including Germany, puts resettlement countries even more in the center of decision-making authority–in contrast to a diffusion of power that characterizes multi-level governance.

Gender biases in resettlement processes in Vietnam: examining women’s participation and implications for impact assessment

ABSTRACT The impacts of development-induced resettlement disproportionately affect women, as they frequently face more difficulties than men to cope with disruption and changes. Women’s situation might further deteriorate if there is no mechanism for affected households to enjoy meaningful participation and consultation in the resettlement process. This paper is the result of policy analysis, project implementation experience, and findings of a cross-sectional survey of 876 affected households in Vietnam. We examine women’s participation in resettlement processes in large infrastructure projects in Vietnam. The survey findings revealed the limited participation of women in the resettlement processes from all perspectives (meeting attendance, resettlement implementation, and making decisions) at community and household levels. Gender-stereotyped prejudice from community members and the gender-ascribed household division of labour were key factors inhibiting women’s meaningful participation. The paper also discusses the implications of the findings for impact assessment practice. We call for a shift in how resettlement is prepared and implemented towards a more comprehensive and gender-informed approach, with a view to making affected people genuine beneficiaries of resettlement programmes.

Impact of land-acquisition induced resettlement policy on the ethnic household income in mountainous Vietnam

Land acquisition and resettlement issues related to hydropower and irrigation works have always been one of the hot issues in Vietnam mountainous areas for many years. Although the Government has introduced many policies to ensure the rights of resettled people, as well as protect their lives, the effectiveness of these policies seems to be still insignificant, because many resettled people still face many difficulties in their daily life, especially income. The research is conducted within the project titled “The urgent issues in resettlement implementation for the ethnic minorities in Vietnam mountainous areas” and funded by National Council for Science and Technology Policy in 2016-2020 (CTDT/16-20) under Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs. Applying Likert-scale and Propensity Score Matching (PSM), this study shows that 34% of the resettled households have a lower income, specifically estimated to be 8.0 - 13.1 million VND/household/year or 1.7 - 3.0 million VND/person/year lower than the income of the controlled group. However, agricultural income is not significantly different between resettled households and controlled households. This article only focuses on clarifying the impact of the resettlement policy on the general income and agricultural income of ethnic minority households; while methods to create jobs, increase income, and reduce poverty sustainably for ethnic minority households in the resettlement sites should be conducted in another research in the future.

Advantages and obstacles to retrofitting benefit-sharing after development-induced displacement and resettlement

ABSTRACT Although many older development initiatives displaced people without benefit-sharing, the literature suggests that benefit-sharing may be added, or retrofitted, to an existing revenue-producing development project. This article looks at the potential for retrofitting benefit-sharing in a hydropower project in Western Mali, using results collected directly after resettlement in the late 1980s, in 1993–94, and in 2016–18. Retrofitting a benefit-sharing program at Manantali would allow resettled populations to correct deficiencies in resettlement implementation and to meet new post-displacement challenges. Moreover, Manantali residents are better prepared now than they were at resettlement to understand the advantages and constraints in resettlement areas. Retrofitting a benefit-sharing program requires that the planners address issues of eligibility, structure, and management of the program as well as other obstacles and challenges. There is no general formula for retrofitting, but each program needs to be adapted to the particular circumstances of people, place, and infrastructure.

The Determinants of Participation in Livelihood Strategies: The Case of Resettlement Chewaka District, Buno Badele Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Due to land scarcity, agricultural land infertility, high population pressure and recurrent drought, the government of Ethiopia implemented resettlement programs in 2003 EC before 15 years. The program aimed at addressing the problem of drought and famine through improved access to land and availing institutional support. In light of this, the objective of the study is to identify existing livelihood strategies adopted by rural households and analyze factors that determine households’ participation to choose alternative livelihood strategies in Buno Bedele Zone, Chewaka resettlement district. The data were collected through both primary and secondary data collection methods. The data were obtained from 137 sample household heads that were selected through simple random sampling techniques. The study used both descriptive and econometrics for analysis. The descriptive statistics were used to explain socio economic characters of the household comparison which it resettlers have better encouragement than the hosts community,… and it was used to identify the existence of livelihood strategies that was 60.72 percent of households total annual income from the on farm strategy (agriculture) and 23.46/15.81percent was from off/nonfarm activities. Multinomial logit model applied to analyses the factors that determine households’ participation to choose alternative livelihood strategies. In this regard, the econometric investigation indicate that out of the total seventeen variables included in the models four variables in non and off farm activities, ten variables in off farm and on farm strategies, eight variables in combination of on farm, off farm and nonfarm activities and four variables in on farm and nonfarm activities were solely or simultaneously in different strategies significant including age of household heads, family size, dependent ratio, settlement fragmentation, number of oxen, irrigation access, education access, land size, livestock holding size, sex of household head,, market distance, total annual income from on farm, membership in local association, extension service, agricultural input use and credit access are found to be the significant determinants up to 10% probability levels. The results of this study recommend that resettlement implementation should be for sustainable livelihood development. To do so, higher concern would be given to the environmental issue and both agricultural intensification and non/off farm strategies could be strengthened to raise positively farmers’ participation in various livelihood strategy.

Displacement-induced Impoverishment: The Role of a Sustainable Income Restoration and Improvement Strategy in Livelihood Rehabilitation in Sri Lanka

The gradual shift of the ‘state-centric’ land acquisition approach towards a ‘person-centric’ development framework highlights the state’s role in ensuring that the affected non-poor would not become poor and the affected poor would not become poorer as a result of a development intervention. In this regard: (a) paying replacement cost as compensation for acquired land and structures, (b) assisting the physically displaced to relocate and (c) implementing a well-planned and financed programme to restore and improve their incomes and livelihoods are considered as key best international practices. This article focuses on the performance of the income restoration programme of the Southern Transport Development Project (STDP), a mega infrastructure development project in Sri Lanka, in the context of the payment of replacement cost of acquired property and relocation assistance. The analysis demonstrates that a flexible resettlement implementation plan based on a comprehensive database derived from a scientifically conducted social impact assessment is a prerequisite of any development project that triggers land acquisition and resettlement. Adequate budget and committed resettlement personnel are needed to implement it. Affected persons’ aspirations, views and suggestions should be part of resettlement planning and implementation.

Resettlement Implementation Effect Evaluation Based on Entropy Weight - Principal Component Analysis

To objectively evaluate the resettlement implementation effect of migration which resulted from the development of hydroelectric energy, through the combination of field investigation and the interior work plenty monitoring and evaluation data concerning resettlement of Sui County in China has been collected, and according to the characteristics of resettlement work resettlement implementation effect evaluation indexes have been selected. To optimize indexes whose number and category are complex and deal with the porblem of weighting indexes subjectively, principal component analysis (PCA) is applied to reduce the evaluation index dimensions and to extract the principal component indexes, combining with the entropy weight method to objectively weight the indexes. Case study of Sui County shows that the method can quantitatively give each immigrant village a comprehensive resettlement effect score, and provide theoretical basis for subsequent resettlement management decision-making, it also contribute to the harmony and stability in the resettlement area and the sustainable development of hydropower.

Culture and Rural Resettlement Projects in Laos

Laos is linguistically and ethnically the most diverse country in mainland Southeast Asia. To build a sustainable community/village with multi-ethnicity, it is necessary to take a pro-cultural consideration in the process of development intervention by the government. As a case study of resettlement associated with hydroelectric power development, this paper aims at clarifying the cultural elements adopted practically in the implementation of resettlement associated with hydroelectric power development and the sense of value behind such cultural elements. Using qualitative and quantitative approaches by sample surveys, the results show that the cultural elements such as symbol, hero, ritual and belief have played a practical and significant role in the consensus formation during the consultation & planning and physical relocation processes. However, among ethnic groups the degree of senses of value related to symbol, ritual and belief is different while the degree of sense of value related to hero is the same.

Resettlement Programmes and Environmental Capacity in the Three Gorges Dam Project

This contribution looks at the Three Gorges dam project, and specifically at the resettlement programme, focusing on two major aspects. It examines the resettlement programme in relation to the environmental capacity in the reservoir area; and it assesses the existence of a risk consciousness and a reconstruction strategy, seen in terms of the ‘impoverishment risks and reconstruction’ (IRR) model. The author argues that issues related to the environment and natural resources are highly significant and have led to changes in the resettlement programme, including a change in policy towards moving rural people out of the reservoir area, as well as the issuing of new resettlement regulations. The IRR model is a useful tool to identify risks and can serve as a guide to the reconstruction of livelihoods for the resettled people. The limitations of using the model in the Three Gorges project concern specific Chinese environmental, social, economic and political conditions that influence efficient resettlement implementation. The Chinese authorities’ emphasis in resettlement has been on rebuilding relocatees’ livelihoods: it focuses less — if at all — on the social aspects and the social trauma of broken networks. The IRR model could therefore be useful in the context of focusing more on the social costs of resettlement.