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Using Poverty Lines to Measure Refugee Self-Reliance

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  • Johannes G. Hoogeveen
  • Robert Benjamin Hopper

Abstract

Humanitarian models of refugee assistance increasingly promote refugee self-reliance without offering a clear understanding of what constitutes self-reliance, or how to measure it, although measurement is essential to assess whether the promotion of self-reliance has been successful. This paper proposes an approach to measuring self-reliance rooted in global poverty measurement: a refugee is self-reliant if their self-earned income exceeds the locally relevant poverty line. In its empirical application, the paper uses estimates of self-reliance drawn from 11 consumption surveys, which present the universe of data that can be used for such purposes. Refugees in middle-income countries are found to be far more likely to be self-reliant than those in lower income countries, while refugees residing in urban and non-camp settings demonstrate higher levels of self-reliance than those in rural and camp environments, reflecting the presence of greater economic opportunities outside camps and in urban areas. The paper also finds evidence that aid and self-reliance are inversely correlated, with more aid spent in environments where refugee self-reliance is constrained. The paper argues that a different outcome should be envisaged, one in which governments that encourage refugees to be self-reliant receive more aid. Such an approach would be beneficial for refugees, who would gain financial autonomy, and for host country citizens, who often face high levels of poverty and at times are even poorer than refugees.

Suggested Citation

  • Johannes G. Hoogeveen & Robert Benjamin Hopper, 2024. "Using Poverty Lines to Measure Refugee Self-Reliance," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10910, The World Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10910
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Martin Ravallion & Gaurav Datt & Dominique van de Walle, 1991. "Quantifying Absolute Poverty In The Developing World," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 37(4), pages 345-361, December.
    2. Gero Carletto & Marco Tiberti & Alberto Zezza, 2022. "Measure for Measure: Comparing Survey Based Estimates of Income and Consumption for Rural Households [Obtaining Useful Data on Household Incomes from Surveys]," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 37(1), pages 1-38.
    3. repec:bla:revinw:v:37:y:1991:i:4:p:345-61 is not listed on IDEAS
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