This note from the field explores the purpose, process and value of using a sustainable-livelihoods framework and operational map to study refugee livelihoods. The current absence of a livelihoods framework specifically tailored to refugees has created a gap not only in research, but in policy development and application. This article reflects on the utility of this methodology to generate insight into the lives of refugees in four diverse contexts: Central African Republic (CAR) refugees in Cameroon; Rohingya refugees in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Syrian refugees in Zarqa, Jordan; and Syrian refugees in Istanbul, Turkey. The framework was helpful in that it enabled us to explore how refugees perceive their context, risks and possibilities as well their objectives, actions and strategies. As per Levine’s methodology, starting with refugees and their perceptions unlocked a new way of looking at the environment within which refugees try to sustain themselves and a deeper understanding of how refugees’ perceptions dictate their livelihood goals, strategies and actions. This article extends analysis to consider the broader policy implications that this specific methodological approach supports.
Publishing Organizations: International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
Author(s): Boel McAteer and Kellie Leeson
Publishing Organizations: Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative
Author(s): Sasha Muench
Publishing Organizations: Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative, RefugePoint, RELON Uganda, and R-SEAT
Publishing Organizations: Cohere
Author(s): Diana Essex-Lettieri; Julia Zahreddine
Publishing Organizations: Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative
Author(s): Dr. Evan Easton-Calabria
Publishing Organizations: Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative
Authors: Refugee Self-Reliance Market Systems Development Working Group
Publishing Organizations: RefugePoint and the Refugee Self-Reliance Initiative in partnership with refugee-led organizations operating in Nairobi, Kenya
Publishing Organizations: GIZ, WINS Global Consult
Publishing Organizations: Journal of Family Studies
Author(s): Katarzyna Kochaniak and Agnieszka Huterska
Publishing Organizations: Third World Quarterly
Author(s): Swati Mehta Dhawan, Kim Wilson, and Hans-Martin Zademach