Varieties of Violence in Refugee Hosting Communities

• In Event: Policies and Attitudes towards Refugees in the Global South

Abstract

A growing literature studies the relationship between forced displacement and violence in host communities. Yet, scholars have tended to focus on anti-government violence during civil wars in host countries. We argue that the chief protection needs of refugees and their non-migrant neighbors often stem from social conflict. We document a strong, positive relationship between refugee-hosting and social violence in a multi-pronged empirical strategy combining global, subnational analyses and a microlevel difference in-differences design from Afghanistan. Hosting is associated with greater communal violence, protest activity, and government
repression. These dynamics are magnified in areas where refugees are informally settled, where
UNHCR officials are absent, and where aid projects fuel local grievances over the distribution of benefits. Together, our findings highlight the importance of considering the varieties of violence
that occur in host communities. Ensuring the protection of refugees and host citizens requires
understanding when and why hosting may exacerbate social conflict.

Authors

• Burcu Savun, University of Pittsburgh

• Christopher William Blair, Princeton University