Displacement and Social Empowerment : Evidence from Surveys of IDPs in Iraq, thePhilippines, and Uganda

Understanding the conditions under which displaced persons become actively engaged in socialand political life is critical to building durable solutions to displacement. To do so, this paper analyzes originalsurveys that sample IDPs and similarly at-risk but not displaced populations in Iraq (2019), the Philippines(2010), and Uganda (2007 and 2010). Variation in the type and degree of engagement across contexts suggest that therelationship between displacement and empowerment is mediated by contextual factors. To better understand themechanisms and grapple with the non-random nature of displacement, the analysis explores temporal variation inUganda, where the relationships change over time within the same case, and use matching models in the Philippines andIraq to explore whether differences in the displacementexperience (urban v. rural, camp based versus non-camp-based displacement) influence levels of engagement. Displacementexperience is positively associated with some manifestations of empowerment compared to control groups, butinconsistently across contexts. Finally, the paper explores heterogeneity among IDPs within cases based on the contextof their dis-placement, finding a consistent negative association between camp-based displacement and perceptionsof empowerment. The results have important implications for humanitarian policy in contexts of forced displacement.