Refugees fleeing violent conflict represent a complex and intractable policy challenge to host governments. This is especially the case in developing countries, where refugees are increasingly originating from and settling in, and whose capacity to provide assistance to refugees and asylum seekers is limited. Such a situation is compounded when countries face a sudden influx of refugees; whose assistance then becomes a humanitarian necessity. Since 2010, the number of forcibly displaced people increased exponentially; reaching a total of 68.5 million, with 85 percent of the total refugee population residing in developing regions, including LDCs. The world’s refugees are also becoming increasingly urban; placing a strain on municipal service provision and local community receptiveness.
Lasting for more than seven years, the Syrian war continues to drive the largest refugee crisis in the world. An estimated 5.5 million Syrians have fled the country and 6.1 million have been internally displaced. Syria’s refugee crisis has impacted, first and foremost, its direct neighbors; some of which are currently hosting the largest number of registered refugees, per capita, in the world.
This seminar aims to contribute to our understanding of refugee policymaking in the context of conflict-induced displacement, by comparing the policy responses of Lebanon and Jordan to the Syrian Refugee Crisis. Drawing on several literature strands across the forced migration and policy science disciplines, and building on primary research conducted in the field, this research proposes a theoretical framework that conceptualizes host policy responses from a systems perspective. Lessons are derived for theory and practice.