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Refugee Return and Social Cohesion

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  • Ruiz,Isabel
  • Vargas Silva,Carlos Ivan

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of refugee return on social cohesion using data from Burundi, acountry that experienced high levels of repatriation during the 2000s. It uses a nationwide survey conducted in 2015 andrelies on geographic features of the communities for identification purposes. The results suggest varying impactsof refugee return on different aspects of social cohesion. The stronger effects, suggest that refugee return has anegative impact on the feeling that community members help each other, could borrow money for emergencies fromnon-household members and feeling that the community is peaceful. The estimated impacts on measures ofreconciliation, post-conflict justice, trust and participation in community groups are mostly statisticallyinsignificant. The paper also explores how these effects differ across different sub-samples based on ethniccomposition, land scarcity and attitudes towards return. The results highlight the possible role of new migration-relatedsocietal divisions (i.e. returnees versus stayees) in affecting post-return social cohesion.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruiz,Isabel & Vargas Silva,Carlos Ivan, 2022. "Refugee Return and Social Cohesion," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10100, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10100
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