Jordan has long experienced societal transformations, partly resulting from significant influxes of refugees at various points in time. Subsequently, social boundaries have constantly been revisited along multiple dimensions - from cultural to economic rights. Recognising the need for refugees’ access to social rights to utilise their agency, this paper delves into the topic of refugee labour market engagement from a social exclusion perspective. It thus builds on the Global Compact for Refugees that sees economic inclusion amongst others as an alternative to durable solutions (par. 100). While this pertains to the right to work, the actual practice proves to be more complicated. Not only do we need to consider whether refugees are able to participate albeit formally or informally, but above all, we need to understand under what conditions protracted refugees engage in the labour market. Recognising both between and within group differences, 35 semi-structured interviews with over 31 Palestinian refugees, and 41 Syrian refugees both in and outside refugee camps were conducted during the Summer of 2018, and supplemented with 2 FGDs. The analysis seeks to better understand how different protracted refugee groups effectively partake in and shape their labour market engagement against the backdrop of a thorough discussion on existing policies and programmes. This analysis is informed by the understanding that participation is multifaceted, and the level of inclusion is shaped by the dynamics of (international) policy dialogue and protectionism. The political capture of the refugee issue, as well as the long-lasting effects of camps remain critical elements in capturing to what extent individuals are able to partake in the labour market while simultaneously recognising the emergence of trade-offs and spill-over effects.
The documents contain the transcripts of the interviews, the coding tree and methodology (including overview of respondents and questionnaires).
Restrictions: Due to sensitivity of the data and inclusion of personal details, access to the transcripts is restricted as per the GDPR restrictions.
