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Empowering Refugees through Cash and Agriculture: A Regression Discontinuity Design

Author

Listed:
  • Claire MacPherson

    (Department for International Development (DFID))

  • Olivier Sterck

    (Refugee Studies Centre and CSAE, University of Oxford)

Abstract
Assistance to refugees is shifting from a humanitarian model, which focuses on protection, emergency relief, and shelter, to a development model promoting refugee self-reliance through income-generating activities, market development, and cash transfers. Evidence on the effects of this paradigm shift is limited. Exploiting a regression discontinuity design, this paper tests whether the adoption of a development approach to refugee assistance in a new settlement in Kenya has a positive impact. We find that refugees benefiting from the new approach have better diets and perceive themselves as happier and more independent from humanitarian aid. We find no effect on assets and employment. These effects appear to be driven by the switch from food rations to cash transfers and by the wider promotion of small- scale agriculture. Our findings argue in favor of the development approach to refugee assistance, which is cheaper and leads to better outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Claire MacPherson & Olivier Sterck, 2020. "Empowering Refugees through Cash and Agriculture: A Regression Discontinuity Design," HiCN Working Papers 320, Households in Conflict Network.
    • Handle: RePEc:hic:wpaper:320
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    File URL: https://hicn.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/HiCN-WP-320.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. David Wuepper & Robert Finger, 2023. "Regression discontinuity designs in agricultural and environmental economics," European Review of Agricultural Economics, Oxford University Press and the European Agricultural and Applied Economics Publications Foundation, vol. 50(1), pages 1-28.
    3. Altındağ, Onur & O’Connell, Stephen D., 2023. "The short-lived effects of unconditional cash transfers to refugees," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    4. Vintar,Mirko & Beltramo,Theresa Parrish & Delius,Antonia Johanna Sophie & Egger,Dennis Timo & Pape,Utz Johann, 2022. "Impact of COVID-19 on Labor Market Outcomes of Refugees and Nationals in Kenya," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9960, The World Bank.
    5. Gupta, Prankur & Stein, Daniel & Longman, Kyla & Lanthorn, Heather & Bergmann, Rico & Nshakira-Rukundo, Emmanuel & Rutto, Noel & Kahura, Christine & Kananu, Winfred & Posner, Gabrielle & Zhao, K.J. & , 2024. "Cash transfers amid shocks: A large, one-time, unconditional cash transfer to refugees in Uganda has multidimensional benefits after 19 months," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    6. Stephen O’Connell & Onur Altındağ & and Rim Achour, 2024. "Geographic poverty targeting in social protection programs: Evidence from a nationwide policy experiment," HiCN Working Papers 418, Households in Conflict Network.
    7. Betts,Alexander Milton Stedman & Stierna,Maria Flinder & Omata,Naohiko & Sterck,Olivier Christian Brigitte, 2022. "Social Cohesion and Refugee-Host Interactions : Evidence from East Africa," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9917, The World Bank.
    8. Delius, Antonia & Sterck, Olivier, 2024. "Cash transfers and micro-enterprise performance: Theory and quasi-experimental evidence from Kenya," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    9. Anna Dreber & Magnus Johannesson & Yifan Yang, 2024. "Selective reporting of placebo tests in top economics journals," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 62(3), pages 921-932, July.
    10. Siu, Jade & Sterck, Olivier & Rodgers, Cory, 2023. "The freedom to choose: Theory and quasi-experimental evidence on cash transfer restrictions," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    11. Robson, Matthew & Vollmer, Frank & Doğan, Basak Berçin & Grede, Nils, 2024. "Distributional impacts of cash transfers on the multidimensional poverty of refugees: The Emergency Social Safety Net in Turkey," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 179(C).
    12. Betts, Alexander & Flinder Stierna, Maria & Omata, Naohiko & Sterck, Olivier, 2023. "Refugees welcome? Inter-group interaction and host community attitude formation," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Refugee economies; Humanitarian aid; Cash transfers; Agriculture; Self-reliance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • Q12 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - Micro Analysis of Farm Firms, Farm Households, and Farm Input Markets

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