Migrants in Countries in Crisis Emerging Findings: A Comparative Study of Six Crisis Situations

This report presents emerging findings from ongoing research on migrants caught in countries experiencing crisis. This research broadens the evidence base on the situations of migrants in crisis-affected countries, particularly focusing on socio-economic and long-term implications at the micro-, meso- and macro-levels. Conducted by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), the University of Oxford’s International Migration Institute (IMI), and local research partners, ongoing research presented in this report is being carried out in 11 countries on six specific crisis situations. This report presents the emerging findings and common themes identified from this research thus far. Following the completion of the data collection and fieldwork phase, more comprehensive analysis will be undertaken over the course of 2016 and early 2017 in the form of reports on each case study, as well as an extensive comparative report. A separate and parallel comparative research paper will also be developed covering European responses to crises. We proceed by first outlining the conceptual background to this research, in particular highlighting key terminology and the scope of the research, and offering an overview of the six case studies covered. We then present the general methodology, data collection and approach to analysis across all case studies and for this report. We continue by discussing the key contextual and structural factors that affect migrants in host countries, transit countries, and upon their return to countries of origin – focusing in particular on factors related to migration history and legal status. Next, we cover how migrants and their families have responded to crises in the immediate and long-term, including their perceptions of crises and coping strategies, as well as issues related to mobility (relocation, return, circular movements, and so forth). We then examine the responses of other stakeholders to crises – governmental authorities from host and origin countries, intergovernmental and civil society organisations, and private sector actors – as well as their impact. We then look at policy lessons from the crises, clarifying which lessons have been learned by each stakeholder group in their responses to migrants caught in crises in host countries, in order to improve responses to future crises. In the concluding section, we present the main results and policy implications evident to-date, highlighting the role different types of actors can play when responding to crisis situations. At the end of the report, we have also included six factsheets, one for each of the case studies. The factsheets provide information on the focus of the case study, the number of interviews completed as of August 2016, and the emerging findings on migrant responses, institutional responses, and policy learning.