Refugees, Returnees and Local Society

The Social Situation of Refugees and The Impact of the Mass Return of Refugees on Local Society drew upon the Institute’s earlier research on refugees and focused on the social situation of refugees and returnees in the developing world. These two sub-projects considered the effects of mass movements on local long-term development in areas to which refugees fled, as well as in areas to which they returned.

The Social Situation of Refugees examined the interaction between Guatemalan refugees and the local population of the frontier zones of Chiapas, in southern Mexico. The case of Angolan refugees in Zambia was also studied. The Impact of the Mass Return of Refugees on Local Society focused on the content and impact of refugee programmes adopted in Zimbabwe before and after independence. It attempted to document the socio-economic impact of programmes designed to facilitate the mass voluntary return of refugees to that country.