Refugees and Local Politics (Pre-Recorded)

Session Submission Type: In-Person Full Paper Panel

Session Description

Forced migration reached an all-time high in 2020, with an estimated 80 million displaced worldwide. In light of this unprecedented level of displacement, political scientists are increasingly examining the role of local governance and electoral politics in shaping a variety of outcomes for both refugees and host communities. Existing political dynamics, access to services, and bureaucratic capacity may be crucial in shaping whether refugees are welcomed or excluded. Simultaneously, the actions of international and local actors in times of strain in the years following displacement--such as a global pandemic--can prevent existing forces from becoming deterministic.

This panel explores the variation in local responses to forced migration by various actors including local governments, municipalities and host populations. Papers present evidence utilizing extensive original survey, observational, and interview data from Uganda, Jordan, Ethiopia, Turkey, Colombia, and Greece. In a cross-national study of Ethiopia, Jordan, and Uganda, Carvalho et. al find that perceptions of quality of local services in refugee-hosting communities may result in “service protectiveness,” and use original survey data from Uganda during COVID-19 to test mechanisms. Fabbe and Matakos argue that whereas local politicians respond to asylum seeker settlement policies based on “fair share” quotas and financial incentives by exhibiting lexicographic preferences, these same policies polarize citizenries. Balcioglu examines the role of municipal civil servants’ impact on municipalities’ decision to cater for Syrian refugees in Turkey and finds that the types of municipal assistance provided to refugees vary depending on civil servants’ motivation for provision. In Colombia, Woldemikael explores whether local municipal candidates’ invocation of pro or anti-migrant discourse in campaign platforms shapes citizen attitudes and behavior towards Venezuelan forced migrants. Together, these papers provide empirically rigorous and theoretically novel contributions to understanding the neglected role of local policies in shaping outcomes for refugees and host communities.

Sub Unit

• Division 52: Migration & Citizenship

Individual Presentations

• Service Protectiveness and Refugee-Host Community Relations in Developing States - Shelby Carvalho, Harvard University; Reva Dhingra, Harvard University; Olivia Asmara Woldemikael, Harvard University

• Stretching the Limits of Authority: Why Do Local Governments Cater for Refugees? - Zeynep Balcioglu, Northeastern University

• Explaining Tolerance: Local Governance and Citizen Attitudes Towards Migrants - Olivia Asmara Woldemikael, Harvard University

• The Price of Prejudice: Evidence from Citizens and Local Government in Greece - Kristin E. Fabbe, Harvard Business School; Konstantinos Matakos, King's College London

Chair

• Noora Anwar Lori Boston University

Discussant

• Ala Alrababah ETH Zurich