PRFDHR Seminar: Prison or Sanctuary? An Evaluation of Camps for Syrian Refugees, Dr. Thomas Ginn
Camps are a controversial strategy to manage an influx of refugees. Host countries want to minimize negative effects on citizens, but relief organizations worry that isolation reduces employment and self-reliance over time. Using a large and representative survey, Dr. Ginn studies Syrians in Jordan and Iraq, comparing camp residents to other refugees who self-settle in the same country. He identifies the effects of camp residence with multiple strategies: controlling for a rich set of observables, and a difference-in-differences with Lebanon where camps were never opened.