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Refugee influx and economic activity: evidence from Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh

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  • José Joaquín Endara

Abstract

Using nighttime lights data and the location of historically important markets for host populations in Southern Bangladesh, we assess the impact of the sudden refugee influx in August 2017 in the economic activity for the local community. Using a difference in difference estimation, we find that a sudden refugee influx produced an increase of 24% in economic activity in host markets within 5 kilometers of refugee camps. The results are robust to different specifications, and we include as controls the population around markets from the High-Resolution Settlement Layer by CIENSIN and Facebook and travel times through the local road networks. We argue that the refugee influx plus the humanitarian response are responsible for this effect. This paper contributes to the literature documenting the impacts of refugees on host communities.

Suggested Citation

  • José Joaquín Endara, 2020. "Refugee influx and economic activity: evidence from Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh," Asociación Argentina de Economía Política: Working Papers 4341, Asociación Argentina de Economía Política.
    • Handle: RePEc:aep:anales:4341
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Refugee impacts; Forced migration impacts; Nighttime lights; Difference in Difference; Rohingyas; Travel times; High Resolution Settlement Layer;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population
    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities

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