A new three-year funding agreement has been reached with the IKEA Foundation to continue the research of the Refugee Economies Programme at Oxford University’s Refugee Studies Centre (RSC).
This new agreement, which provides £1.54 million, builds on previous funding from the foundation that enabled the programme to undertake pioneering work on the economic lives of refugees.
The new funding will cover a series of research and related activities for the period 2021–24 that build on the programme’s previous research on the socio-economic inclusion of refugees, using participatory research methods. These activities focus on the socio-economic inclusion of refugees in camps and cities in East Africa. In this region – as in other parts of the world – refugees face major challenges to economic participation, generally due to legal barriers, the remoteness of refugee camps, and a lack of job or business opportunities.
The new grant will support four new areas of work, highlighted by the programme’s previous research: borders, mobility, and livelihoods; shocks, vulnerability, and livelihoods; the politics of socio-economic rights; and a new refugee-led research hub (RLRH) hosted at the British Institute in Eastern Africa in Nairobi, which will provide training, mentorship, and support to aspiring refugee researchers.
Collectively, these activities aim to produce original and impactful research, which will be shared with policy-makers, practitioners and the general public, and help build the capacity of refugees to participate meaningfully in research. The ultimate aim is to influence international and national humanitarian policy and practice for the longer-term benefit of refugees globally.
Annemieke de Jong, Head of Portfolio, Refugee Livelihoods, at the IKEA Foundation, said: ‘The Refugee Studies Centre’s innovative research will help develop practical solutions to empower refugees, in both camps and cities, to become self-sufficient. This will enable them to afford a better life for themselves and provide a brighter future for their children.’
Professor Alexander Betts, who leads the Refugee Economies Programme, said: ‘Thanks to the IKEA Foundation, we will continue to undertake impactful research that supports the economic inclusion of refugees. This grant enables us to explore a range of emerging and policy-relevant themes, and to build the new Refugee-Led Research Hub in Nairobi, which will support refugees to participate in and lead research.’
The IKEA Foundation is funded by INGKA Foundation, owner of the Ingka Group of companies. The IKEA Foundation is independent from the retail business with a sole focus on creating brighter lives on a liveable planet through philanthropy and grant making.