A Southampton professor has received a prestigious British Academy award to explore the impact of a huge Syrian refugee influx on Jordan.
Jackline Wahba, Professor of Economics at the University, was one of 16 applicants selected for British Academy Sustainable Development Programme funding to further sustainability and work to eliminate poverty.
The grants were awarded to major, interdisciplinary, policy-focused research projects which will help inform policies and interventions to improve people’s lives in fragile, conflict-affected states or developing countries.
With more than 15 million refugees across the world, Jackline’s research will provide evidence on the impact of hosting refugees in developing countries, highlighting both the challenges as well as the potential opportunities. It will inform policymakers on the effects of allowing refugees access to the labour market.
The £260,000 grant is for 16 months and will fund the use of new data to study the socio-economic impact for Jordanians, Syrian refugees and other groups of immigrants, highlighting the effects on women, youth and children.
Jackline said:
It is fantastic to receive this funding which will allow us to deal with several issues that are critical to policymakers.
Forced displacement is a global challenge. The outbreak of the conflict in Syria has displaced 4.7 million people to neighbouring countries and the 2015 Population Census of Jordan shows that the country is currently hosting 1.3 million Syrians.
Using rigorous methodologies and rich new data sets, we aim to provide better understanding of the effects of hosting refugees on Jordanian society, the country’s labour market, and the access and quality of public services.
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