refugees — Publications

UNHCR - Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance Mid-Year Post-Distribution Monitoring Report 2021

September 2021

This report presents the results from the 2021 mid-year Post-Distribution (PDM) exercise of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) multi-purpose cash assistance programme in Jordan. Jordan hosts close to three quarters of a million refugees, most living outside of camps. In this context, cash assistance is one of the most important social protection tools in humanitarian response.

Samuel Hall was commissioned by UNHCR to assess the degree to which cash recipients rely on negative coping strategies to meet their basic needs in Jordan. With profiles of interviewed beneficiaries and their spending patterns; the report discusses the impact of the monthly basic needs cash assistance on factors such as negative coping mechanisms, food security, housing, and debt. In the final section, the report discusses the cash recipients’ perceptions of cash transfer modalities and the UNHCR complaints mechanism, followed by a presentation of key monitoring indicators.

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ODI - Public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and other migrants

October 2021

Engaging public narratives and attitudes towards refugees and migrants within their host communities is an increasingly important task. There is however a lack of understanding and data on these narratives and attitudes. This is particularly the case for countries in sub-Saharan Africa. This ODI project, supported by the IKEA Foundation, aims to address this gap. Through a series of activities, dialogues, and innovative communication and outreach initiatives, the project is mapping recent research and evidence on public attitudes toward refugees and other migrants in several countries in Africa and Europe.

Samuel Hall lead interviews in Nigeria and Ethiopia and contributed to the writing of these new reports. ODI have also carried out similar research in Germany, the UK, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Italy, the US, Kenya and Uganda.

Nigeria country profile
Ethiopia country profile
Project page

West & Central Africa, Europe, Global, ResilienceSamuel HallNovember 1, 2021Nigeria, Ethiopia, IKEA, refugees, migration, case study, report

ILO – Towards decent work for young refugees and host communities in the digital platform economy in Africa

August 2021

Samuel Hall worked with the University of Edinburgh, commissioned by the ILO's Youth Employment Sector and the PROSPECTS partnership, to conduct a study to characterise the nature of platform-related opportunities in Africa. The report focuses on digital labour platforms (gig work) and e-commerce, developing an overview of the level of access, and identifying initiatives that these opportunities. Samuel Hall conducted 36 Interviews in Uganda, Kenya and Egypt to identify the key drivers, levers and constraints that catalyse and/or hold back the growth of the platform economy in Africa in the future. It accounts for COVID-19 implications, with a focus on labour market implications.

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UNHCR - Multi-Purpose Cash Assistance Mid-Year Post Distribution Monitoring Report 2020

September 2020

Jordan hosts close to three quarters of a million refugees, most living outside of camps. The majority are vulnerable, unable to independently maintain a dignified life. In this context, UNHCR Jordan’s unconditional monthly basic needs cash assistance programme is a lifeline for many. During the first half of-2020, around 33,000 vulnerable refugee families living in urban areas and mostly but not exclusively from Syria, benefited from monthly assistance in the form of a social cash transfer (unrelated to Covid-19 emergency cash transfers also distributed by UNHCR in the late spring of 2020 and discussed in an annex to this document). Based on a survey administered via telephone to 590 cash transfer recipients, this report presents the results of the mid-year post-distribution monitoring exercise. It contributes to strengthening the evidence-base for policies that address best practices in cash-based transfers and their impact on vulnerability of refugee populations.

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World Bank - Impact of Refugees on Hosting Communities in Ethiopia

August 2020

Commissioned by the World Bank, Samuel Hall (SH) is conducting an analysis of the social dynamics in refugee-hosting areas in Ethiopia. The study aims to help the Ethiopian government to put in place mechanisms to enable refugees to become more self-reliant and better integrated into society and the economy. By collecting data through qualitative methods, the objective of the project is to generate high quality evidence from the field on the social context in refugee-hosting areas and on the social impacts of refugees on hosts in three regions: Addis Ababa, Somali and Gambella regions.

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ILO/UNHCR - Doing Business in Dadaab

January 2019

Contrary to many popular perceptions, Dadaab is an area of opportunity with existing strengths that can be harnessed. This market systems analysis identifies these strengths as well as areas to build further, and provides the foundation for building opportunities to strengthen job creation and linkages between host and refugee communities as well as with private sector employers in Garissa county as well as with the capital.

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UNESCO - Inclusion of Afghan Refugees in the National Education Systems of Iran and Pakistan

November 2018

This paper was commissioned by the Global Education Monitoring Report as background information to assist in drafting the 2019 GEM Report, Migration, displacement and education: Building bridges, not walls, accessible here.

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ODI - Journeys on Hold

March 2017

Samuel Hall supported ODI in the development of this working paper that sets out to better understand whether, by providing alternative options, it is possible for policy-makers to prevent or reduce irregular migration from countries- and regions-of-origin. It looks at two measures in particular: in-country livelihood support, such as vocational trainings and loans, and refugee resettlement programming. Findings draw on qualitative interviews with Eritreans in both the northern province of Tigray as well as the country’s capital, Addis Ababa.

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NRC - Thinking Forward About Livelihoods for Refugees in Ethiopia

August 2016

This study was commissioned by NRC Ethiopia to document lessons learned as well as to provide a strategic framework to inform NRC’s positioning on integrated programming. It examines the role of NRC in the provision of refugee livelihoods and education.

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DRC/AAH/UNHCR - Kakuma Market Assessment

June 2016

This report provides an evidence-based strategy for increasing employment opportunities and skills development for protracted and recent refugees in Kakuma refugee camp. By focusing on economic integration and capacity development, it directly contributes to the durable and transitional solutions agenda.

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GIZ - Labour Market Needs Analysis in the Afghan Market Sector

November 2015

The objective of this nation-wide consultation was to a) provide a thorough picture of the specific skills demanded by the Afghan mining sector through the establishment of job-specific competency profiles; and b) based on the information gained through the first phase of the research, design workshops in close collaboration with private sector actors in order to improve the practical skillset of Afghan students in mining-related fields.

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UNHCR - Education Scoping Study for Somali Refugees

November 2015

This scoping study was commissioned by UNHCR to inform the future regional education strategy for Somali refugees to be developed in 2015.

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IOM - Kenya Migration Profile

September 2015

Ongoing policy developments are shaping migration management, and Kenya’s role and strategic location in East Africa highlight political evolutions that continue to structure migration systems in Kenya. Data collection and analysis and preparation of the report were undertaken on behalf of IOM by the African Migration and Development Policy Centre with extensive technical support by Samuel Hall in the preparation, final drafting and capacity-building phases of the project.

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DACAAR - Agency and Choice Among the Displaced

July 2015

The focus of this study was on the decision-making process behind refugee returnees’ and IDPs’ choices of destination. More specifically this research identifies factors that influence whether a returnee/IDP individual, family or community chooses to move to an urban or a rural location.

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ReDSS - Devolution in Kenya: Opportunities for Transitional Solutions for Refugees

July 2015

This report examines the case studies of Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps while taking stock of the political and security context framing refugee affairs in Kenya.

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OCHA - June Humanitarian Bulletin

June 2015

The focus of humanitarian and development assistance should be on the poorest families; many of whom will be either internally displaced or returnees. However, the argument for targeting returning refugees as a particular group is becoming less convincing. As this study and previous studies (Samuel Hall/MGSOG 2013 UNHCR Shelter assistance programme evaluation) show, returnees are comparatively less vulnerable compared to internally displaced persons.

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OCHA - January Afghanistan Humanitarian Bulletin

January 2015

For the enthusiastic, “resilience” is a concept; for the cynical, it is a buzzword. For both, the question remains the same: how can aid actors turn it into humanitarian and development practice? According to UNDP, resilience is a “transformative process of strengthening the capacity of people, communities and countries to anticipate, manage, recover and transform from shocks.”

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OCHA - September Humanitarian Bulletin

September 2014

In a challenging Afghan environment, Cash Transfer Programmes (CTPs) have proven to be an efficient, safe, and flexible assistance tool that has delivered all or part of a response: i) in emergency or development situations; ii) across a large spectrum of activities (livelihoods, WASH, food security), and iii) in diverse geographic locations (urban and rural communities). To fuel the on-going debate, we listed for OCHA key findings and lessons learned from Samuel Hall’s most recent publications.

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NRC - Evaluation of NRC's Youth Education Pack (YEP)

July 2014

This report is an evaluation of the YEP project using the OECD-DAC criteria and substantive quantitative, qualitative and contextual information from the field.

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NRC - Living Out of Camp - Alternative to Camp-Based Assistance for Eritrean Refugees in Ethiopia

May 2014

This research is the first study of alternatives to camp-based assistance in Ethiopia for Eritrean refugees, and the first thorough review of Ethiopia’s Out-of-Camp scheme (OCP).

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