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Refugees and the education of host populations: evidence from the Syrian inflow to Jordan

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  • Assaad, Ragui
  • Ginn, Thomas
  • Saleh, Mohamed

Abstract

While labor market impacts of refugees in low- and middle-income countries are commonly studied, public services like education could also be affected by mass arrivals. This paper examines the impact of Syrian refugees on the educational outcomes of Jordanians. Combining detailed household surveys with school-level records on the density of Syrians, we study both the quantity and quality of education using a difference-in-differences design across refugee prevalence and schooling cohort. We find no evidence that Syrians significantly affected the educational outcomes of Jordanians. We show that the government’s response of establishing second shifts in existing public schools and opening new schools in camps mitigated potential overcrowding.

Suggested Citation

  • Assaad, Ragui & Ginn, Thomas & Saleh, Mohamed, 2023. "Refugees and the education of host populations: evidence from the Syrian inflow to Jordan," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 119332, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:119332
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Abdulmohsen Almuhaisen, 2024. "Refugee influx and school enrollment among native youths in Jordan," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(1), pages 1-28, March.
    2. Henrique, 2024. "The Power of Dialogue: Forced Displacement and Social Integration amid an Islamist Insurgency in Mozambique," HiCN Working Papers 405, Households in Conflict Network.
    3. Tumen, Semih & Vlassopoulos, Michael & Wahba, Jackline, 2025. "The Power of Language: Educational and Mental Health Impacts of Language Training for Refugee Children," IZA Discussion Papers 17593, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Caroline Krafft & Ragui Assaad & Ruby Cheung, 2024. "Introducing the Sudan Labor Market Panel Survey 2022," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 51(4), pages 81-106.
    5. Oikawa, Masato & Otake, Takamasa & Awatani, Toshihide & Noguchi, Haruko & Kawamura, Akira, 2025. "Impacts of health checkup programs standardization on working-age self-employed and unemployed: Insights from Japan’s local government response to national policy," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    6. Mauri, Nicola & Peter, Linus, 2025. "The influence of intergovernmental transfers on local taxes: Evidence from Switzerland," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    7. Cortina Toro,Magdalena & Jimenez,Juan Miguel & Rozo Villarraga,Sandra Viviana, 2024. "Little Nomads : Economic and Social Impacts of Migration on Children," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10686, The World Bank.
    8. Barros, Henrique Pita, 2025. "The power of dialogue: Forced displacement and social integration amid an Islamist insurgency in Mozambique," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    9. Mustafa Özer & Jan Fidrmuc, 2024. "Does Immigration Affect the Natives’ Mental Health? Causal Evidence from Forced Syrian Migration to Turkey," CESifo Working Paper Series 11399, CESifo.
    10. Siwar Khelifa & Bruno Lanz & Marco Pecoraro, 2025. "Refugee Peers in Language-Support and Ability-Tracked Classes: Evidence from Switzerland," IRENE Working Papers 25-05, IRENE Institute of Economic Research.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • N35 - Economic History - - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Welfare, Income, Wealth, Religion, and Philanthropy - - - Asia including Middle East
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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