What is refugee resettlement and how are countries implementing the refugee resettlement process? This open access article describes the implementation of the resettlement process and proposes a new terminology of all stages of the resettlement process.
Although resettlement can be described in one sentence, it consists of a process that is implemented by many different stakeholders, in various locations and over different periods of time. And despite the increase of resettlement countries and the diversification of resettlement programs since the early 2000s, literature on the implementation of resettlement programs has remained rather scarce. In addition, a common conceptualization of the different stages is currently missing in academic literature.
Implementing the Refugee Resettlement Process: Diverging Objectives, Interdependencies and Power Relations
Article published by Frontiers on May 7, 2021. The entire article can be read and dowloaded here.
The article addresses these gaps in the literature and proposes a new conceptualization of the resettlement process that could be employed in future research.
Highlighting the diversity of resettlement programs, the article relies on a comparative case study of the German resettlement and humanitarian admission programs from Jordan and Turkey. By drawing on the concept of multi-level governance, the article examines diverging objectives and interdependencies between resettlement stakeholders, such as UNHCR and resettlement countries. As a result, the article argues that the increasing emphasis on national selection criteria by resettlement countries, including Germany, puts resettlement countries even more in the center of decision-making authority – in contrast to a diffusion of power that characterizes multi-level governance.
Other contributions of the Special Issue ‘Managing Forced Displacement: Refugee Resettlement and Complementary Pathways’ can be accessed on the Frontiers website.