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The Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis on Economic Outcomes and Political Attitudes of Young People in Lebanon and Jordan
Abstract
Youth unemployment in the Middle East and North Africa is among the highest in the world. Young people are particularly plagued with long stints of unemployment, especially as they attempt to make the transition from schooling to employment. After the 2011 uprisings, these transitions became even more strained in a number of countries that suffered from the political and economic consequences of conflict in the region. Lebanon and Jordan are now home to over one and a half million refugees from the Syrian war. Given the relatively small sizes of the native population of Lebanon and Jordan, this influx of refugees has had major impacts on the local economies, politics, and societies. This paper uses the ILO’s School to Work Transition Survey from Lebanon and Jordan in 2015 and the Jordan Labor Market Panel Survey of 2016 to examine the impact of the refugee influx on the young people in these two countries. Specifically, this paper examines the impact that living near high concentrations of refugees has on the young people’s ability to find work after finishing schooling. Additionally, this paper examines the attitudes of young people towards immigrants and refugees using the 6th and 7th rounds of the World Values Survey to see how the attitudes of young people in Lebanon and Jordan differ from those of countries less impacted by the Syrian Civil War, including Egypt and Tunisia. This paper finds that while there has been little economic impact on the lives of young people, the political attitudes towards immigrants and refugees have become more negative since the refugee crisis began, especially compared to other MENA countries. This implies that while the economic consequences of the refugee crisis may be minimal, there are still potential political impacts due to the impact of refugee resettlement on political beliefs.
Discipline
Economics
Geographic Area
Jordan
Lebanon
The Levant
Sub Area
None