Refugee Economies: Rethinking popular assumptions

‘Refugee economies’ remain under-researched and poorly understood and there is a lack of good data available on the economic lives of displaced populations. Existing economic work on refugees tends to focus narrowly on refugee livelihoods or on the impact on host states. Yet, understanding these economic systems may hold the key to rethinking our entire approach to refugee assistance.

Through qualitative and quantitative research in Uganda, this study explores economic lives of refugees and displaced populations. The data challenges popular myths about resource allocation system relating to a refugee community.