Book Title: Refugees in a World Without Aid

Book Description

Refugees, internally displaced people, and ‘host communities’ in places affected by protracted displacement, face complex challenges to survive economically, let alone to thrive.

Based on new analysis of research conducted in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Myanmar and Pakistan, this book examines the economic lives of those in camps and cities, in some of the most significant protracted displacement crises in the world. This is the first time such comparative research has been brought together.

The book builds on a history of engaged research into the economic lives of displaced people that has highlighted both their precarity but also their resilience, whilst maintaining a critical perspective on policy objectives of refugee self-reliance. We contribute to this discussion in two ways:

First, the research breaks down the binary between ‘host’ and ‘displaced’ by including both equally. Without overlooking the structural differences between the two groups, we emphasise the relative similarities of their economic situation, and the bonds that form between them, particularly during long-term displacement.

Secondly, we apply a ‘social provisioning’ approach from feminist economics. This highlights the significance of non-financial exchanges, unpaid labour, mutual aid and relations of care, which are fundamental to any economy.

People affected by displacement have seen international attention and support dwindle over time. Most refugees have had to get by in a world without aid for many years. In the face of current widespread cuts to international aid by some of the world’s wealthiest states, it is likely that many others will also have to manage without international support.

This book is based on research conducted for the Protracted Displacement Economies Project (2020–2024) and concludes with a new political economy of displacement that brings together the key insights from that project, to set out a basis for ongoing analysis contemporary displacement contexts.