| ID | 180819 |
| Title Proper | Journey Home |
| Other Title Information | Violence, Anchoring, and Refugee Decisions to Return |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Ghosn, Faten |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | While the UNHCR promotes voluntary repatriation as the preferred solution to refugee situations, there is little understanding of variation in refugees’ preferences regarding return. We develop a theoretical framework suggesting two mechanisms influencing refugees’ preferences. First, refugees’ lived experiences in their country of origin prior to displacement and in their new host country create a trade-off in feelings of being anchored to their origin or host country. Second, firsthand exposure to traumas of war provides some refugees with a sense of competency and self-efficacy, leading them to prefer to return home. We test these relationships with data from a survey among Syrian refugees hosted in Lebanon. We find refugees exposed to violence during the war have a sense of attachment to Syria and are most likely to prefer return. Refugees who have developed a detachment from Syria or an attachment to Lebanon are less likely to prefer return. |
| `In' analytical Note | American Political Science Review Vol. 115, No.3; Aug 2021: p.982 - 998 |
| Journal Source | American Political Science Review 2021-09 115, 3 |