Building Stability Between Host and Refugee Communities : Evidence from a TVET Program inJordan and Lebanon

The resettlement of refugees in host communities increases (perceived) competition for scarceeconomic and non-economic resources, which can contribute to tensions between the communities. This study tests theimpact of a TVET program in Jordan and Lebanon that aims to tackle stresses associated with competition, particularly inthe labor market. The authors test the impact of the program on economic outcomes, economic and life optimism, experienceand perception of economic competition and ingroup-outgroup discrimination using a range of survey measures andbehavioral experiments. They also conduct heterogeneity analyses to assess whether the intervention affects host andrefugee communities similarly. The authors show that by the end of the training, the program has not yet achieved itsemployment aims for either hosts or refugees. However, for refugees, there are significant improvements in optimism anddecreases in the experience of short-term economic stress. There are also improvements in inter-group behavior forrefugees. These results provide insights on how to better tailor labor market programs to host and refugees whilebeing conflict sensitive.