Financial Inclusion and Digital Connectivity in Refugee Governance

Lead Research Organisation: Durham University
Department Name: Geography

Abstract

The project examines emerging trends in refugee governance: debit cards for cash assistance and digital connectivity initiatives. We analyse uptake and challenges of these technologies in four countries: Greece, Jordan, Lebanon and the UK. We include these countries because each has innovated solutions to refugee governance and integration, but in different ways with different outcomes. Our project includes surveys of organisations working in this field and in-depth case studies with humanitarian and refugee-led initiatives. Working across four countries, we are uniquely able to identify both local and global trends in techno-humanitarianism. Working with refugee-led organisations, the project will generate alternative models of financial inclusion and digital connectivity and work with international stakeholders to overcome exclusion.

As the first transnational study of connectivity and debit cards for refugees, this research produces a timely and rigorous intervention in the context of refugee governance, where enduring refugees' forced displacement and destitution are matched by rapidly changing and often experimental governmental approaches using digital technologies. Our study of connectivity and debit cards for refugees maps their operation, effects, and long-term impact. Our study improves the understanding of these digital solutions offered to refugees beyond the promotional or anecdotal slogans that reduce complex processes to either 'innovations' that speed and individualize aid, or 'traps' that disguise surveillance under service provision.

The research includes intensive fieldwork and participatory research in four countries, an innovative approach that addresses gaps in migration and refugee governance research. In Phase 1, we will survey organisations employing debit card and digital connectivity initiatives. In Phase 2, the research team will interview key stakeholders, experts and policy-makers to better understand the aims and challenges of these initiatives. We will also perform scoping workshops to plan participatory research with refugee-led initiatives. In Phase 3, PDRAs perform in-depth case studies of debit card and digital connectivity initiatives in Greece, Jordan, Lebanon and the UK to better understand how local context affects implementation. In Phase 4, PI/CIs co-produce research with refugee-led financial inclusion and digital connectivity initiatives. In Phase 5, we focus on data analysis and communicating our findings. Our Durham-based PDRA will be tasked with framing our findings for non-academic audiences and building relationships through which to communicate transformative approaches to cash assistance, financial inclusion and digital connectivity.

Our research design and relationship-building will allow us to:
1. understand both common and diverse digital connectivity and debit card practices for refugees in Greece, Jordan, Lebanon and the UK,
2. compare and conceptualise how financial inclusion and debit card practices changes relationships between refugees, host communities, NGOs, state agencies in and across our research sites,
3. work with refugee-led initiatives to develop innovative models of financial inclusion and digital connectivity and to share them with key stakeholders, and
4. contribute cutting-edge empirical research to conceptual debates on finance-security assemblages, techno-humanitarianism and refugee digitality.

Planned Impact

Who will benefit from the research and how?

Our impact objective is to chart, challenge and change existing approaches to digital connectivity and financial inclusion. To achieve this, we combine a multi-method research design with collaborative research in the UK, Greece, Jordan and Lebanon.

We will chart existing approaches to digital connectivity and financial inclusion through our Phase 1 survey of debit card and digital connectivity initiatives, Phase 2 semi-structured interviews, and Phase 3 in-depth case studies in Greece, Jordan, Lebanon and the UK. This primary empirical research will produce the first comprehensive findings on this topic and allow us to share comparative insights with collaborators in Phases 4 and 5. These results will benefit organisations like UNHCR who are responsible for implementing cash dispersal systems and refugee inclusion.

We will challenge existing approaches to digital connectivity and financial inclusion by working with refugee-led initiatives that seek to overcome barriers and propose novel solutions to exclusion. These projects both identify barriers to connection and inclusion and propose alternatives. Phases 4 and 5 provide research support, videos and written material and workshops to refugee-led projects, allowing them to articulate locally-appropriate models of financial inclusion and digital connectivity. The research process will benefit participating organizations by providing research and communication skills and a forum for articulating their visions of inclusion and connectivity. Refugee service providers will benefit from examples of best practice and alternative models, as well as reflection on context-sensitive implementation.

We will change existing approaches to digital connectivity and financial inclusion by taking our in-depth case studies (Phase 3) and refugee-led models of connection and inclusion (Phase 4, 5) to key stakeholders: international humanitarian organisations, advocacy networks, journalists and policy-makers. Phase 5 includes publication of videos, policy briefs, and a final report, which will be hosted on the project website in the long-term. To ensure that these circulate, we will publish our final report and hold a public briefing session for journalists and policy-makers at our final conference. The final conference will draw together refugee-led organisations, international NGO representatives and experts to discuss the project's final results. This conference will also identify next steps for amplifying the project's outcomes, networking amongst stakeholders, and identifying next steps in supporting refugee-led initiatives. These stakeholders will benefit from stronger networks and examples of best practice.

Research and Communication Strategy: Our research design includes primary data collection and participatory, co-produced projects, allowing our initial findings to reach refugee organisations quickly. Ordering primary and participatory research in this way also builds in critical reflection on early findings from directly affected refugees, allowing us to adapt later phases of the project to emerging trends. Phases 4 and 5 include scoping and design workshops with refugee-led organisation; virtual workshops with organisations in UK, Greece, Jordan and Lebanon to share knowledge and practice; refugees' videos explaining barriers and novel approaches to inclusion; briefs on initial findings and policy implications; flyers for refugees on local financial inclusion and digital connectivity processes; a final report, training and conference communicating refugee-led approaches to inclusion and connectivity. Videos and training materials will be supported by Durham University's Institute for Hazards, Risk and Resilience after funding period.

Publications

10 25 50

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Coddington K (2020) Destitution Economies: Circuits of Value in Asylum, Refugee, and Migration Control in Annals of the American Association of Geographers

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Garelli G (2021) Migration and 'pull factor' traps in Migration Studies

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Hassouneh N (2022) The green bus and the viapolitics of intra-state deportations in Syria in Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

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Kallio K (2020) Covid-19 discloses unequal geographies in Fennia - International Journal of Geography

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Khan M (2021) Epistemological freedom: activating co-learning and co-production to decolonise knowledge production in Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal

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Martin L (2023) Value extraction through refugee carcerality: Data, labour and financialised accommodation in Environment and Planning D: Society and Space

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Martin L (2020) Carceral economies of migration control in Progress in Human Geography

 
Description Contributed to State of the World's Cash Survey-CalpNetwork
Geographic Reach Multiple continents/international 
Policy Influence Type Contribution to new or Improved professional practice
Impact We contributed to a global survey, which will identify strategic areas for policy development, changes to humanitarian policy and practice, and needs for 2023-2025. These reports frame the direct of travel for global discussions about inter-agency coordination, UN-level action, and regional implementation.
URL https://www.calpnetwork.org/
 
Description Digital Development Workshop: Help Shape the Future of Research in Inclusive Digital Development
Geographic Reach Multiple continents/international 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
URL https://www.rtachesn.org/stories-and-news/inclusive-digital-development/
 
Description Dismantling asylum: the EU Migration Pact viewed from Greece and Italy
Geographic Reach Europe 
Policy Influence Type Influenced training of practitioners or researchers
Impact The event forged new information exchange networks between Italian and Greek refugee/migrant service providers. Both sets of practitioners were well-versed in their national contexts and engage in human rights monitoring and case work, but rarely have the opportunity to compare experiences and learn from other practitioners in EU border states. The webinar itself produced tangible impacts as shared legal strategies. Since the webinar, CI Tazzioli and PDRA Spathopoulou have continued to foster knowledge exchange with these practitioners. This has led to conversations about a formal research partnership between the project and these organisations.
 
Description GCNA Newton Fund ODA Other Funding
Amount £14,935 (GBP)
Organisation Newton Fund 
Sector Public
Country United Kingdom
Start 11/2022 
End 03/2023
 
Description Institute for Advanced Study Interdisciplinary Research Project: The Politics of Credibility
Amount £20,000 (GBP)
Organisation Durham University 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 09/2022 
End 09/2023
 
Description Leeds Social Science Institute International Strategic Research Partnership
Amount £10,000 (GBP)
Organisation University of Leeds 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 08/2022 
End 09/2024
 
Description My City (in)Visible
Amount £15,000 (GBP)
Organisation The British Academy 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2021 
End 03/2022
 
Description Refuge or Return: Changing spatio-temporalities of European refugee asylum.
Amount £109,931 (GBP)
Funding ID ECF-2021-526 
Organisation The Leverhulme Trust 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 01/2022 
End 12/2024
 
Description The Bad Project: Knowledge and aid beyond the project economy
Amount € 273,300 (EUR)
Funding ID 20210217 
Organisation Kone Foundation (Finland) 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country Finland
Start 05/2022 
End 05/2024
 
Description The Orders and Borders of Global Inequality: Migration and Mobilities in Late Capitalism
Amount £2,500,000 (GBP)
Organisation European Research Council (ERC) 
Sector Public
Country Belgium
Start 01/2024 
End 12/2029
 
Description The Pushback Industry: Documenting Financial Relationships in Greek Maritime Border Management
Amount £15,000 (GBP)
Organisation Durham University 
Sector Academic/University
Country United Kingdom
Start 04/2024 
End 05/2026
 
Description Traces of mobility, violence and solidarity: Reconceptualizing cultural heritage through the lens of migration
Amount £517,440 (GBP)
Organisation Volkswagen Foundation 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country Germany
Start 01/2022 
End 12/2025
 
Description UK-Ukraine R&I twinning grants scheme
Amount £19,487,182 (GBP)
Funding ID 11107 
Organisation Universities UK International 
Sector Charity/Non Profit
Country United Kingdom
Start 03/2023 
End 08/2023
 
Description Reframing Displacement research group, Leeds University 
Organisation University of Leeds
Country United Kingdom 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution Glenda Garelli was a founding member and remains on the organising committee of this interdisciplinary research group.
Collaborator Contribution Glenda Garelli is a member of the organising committee and organised seminars for this research group.
Impact Multi-disciplinary workshops and seminars involving postgraduate researchers, including Geography, Sociology, Anthropology and other researchers working with Leeds Social Sciences Institute.
Start Year 2021
 
Description Security and Migration Network 
Organisation University of Buenos Aires
Country Argentina 
Sector Academic/University 
PI Contribution University of Leeds and University of Buenos Aires, funded by LSSI (Leeds Social Science Institute) International Strategic Research Partnership (£10k). The aim is to explore synergies between research projects and potential collaborations. Glenda Garelli contributed to meetings and workshops.
Collaborator Contribution University of Buenos Aires contributed to meetings and workshops.
Impact None as of yet.
Start Year 2022
 
Description Co-authored research report by the Legal Centre Lesvos and the Feminist Autonomous Centre for research, "A Pandemic of Abuses: How Greece dismantled the right to asylum and normalised the violetion of migrants' rights throughout the COVID-19 pandemic in Lesvos: https://legalcentrelesvos.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/A-Pandemic-of-Abuses.pdf 
Form Of Engagement Activity A magazine, newsletter or online publication
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact The report details changes to Greece's asylum system during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically how inequalities were created and amplified.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
URL https://legalcentrelesvos.org/2023/08/23/new-report-a-pandemic-of-abuses/
 
Description Dismantling asylum: the EU Migration Pact viewed from Greece and Italy 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact A roundtable discussion of the Greek and Italian refugee systems in light of the EU Pact on Migration. Speakers included:

Sara Prestianni (Euromed Rights)

Anna Brambilla (ASGI, Italy)

Elli Kriona (HIAS, Greece)

Lucia Gennari (Asgi, Italy)

Lorraine Leete (Legal Center Lesvos, Greece)

Efi Latsoudi (Pikpa, Lesvos)
Between 60 and 90 participants joined the webinar, held via Zoom. Topics of discussion spanned official and unofficial government policies in Italy and Greece, the digitalisation of asylum procedures, and evaluations of proposed changes to the EU asylum system proposed in the EU Pact on Migration in 2020. The panelists engaged with each other in ways not previously possible and questions during Q & A reflected diverse participants from Europe, Canada and the US, from academic, practitioner, and third sector organisations. The webinar will be edited and hosted on the project website.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
URL https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dismantling-asylum-the-eu-migration-pact-viewed-from-greece-and-italy...
 
Description Everyday Power and Governance in Jordan Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Research into Jordan has increased in recent years, and this workshop seeks to take advantage of this intellectual momentum and forge new connections and comparisons in social science studies of the country. Academic work has increasingly appreciated the importance and complexity of different governance practices in the country and broader Levant region, and has increasingly coupled this theoretical turn with in-depth, qualitative research. However, the actual workings and experience of everyday governance, bureaucratic administration, and parallel informal power structures remain under-researched.

The workshop invited established and early career scholars to share current research on governance in Jordan. The workshop provided an important networking opportunity for early career scholars.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2023
 
Description Legal Humanities Panel: Migration and Border Regimes 
Form Of Engagement Activity A talk or presentation
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact Presentation and Panel discussion hosted by Legal Humanities Research Group and Humanities Research Institute, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne, USA. Together, our guest speakers speak to the ever-expanding violence of border policing, far beyond national edges, and to the ways that migrants contend with these efforts to control not only their movements, but the conditions of their very existence. While located within and focusing on the European context, their analyses speak to predicaments over colonial displacements, forced mobility and immobility, and the racialized containment of borders far beyond the continent.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://calendars.illinois.edu/detail/6807/33384455
 
Description Practitioner Engagement Workshop 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact This was a curated discussion about digital cash transfers in humanitarian aid, organised as part of Durham University's Institute for Hazards, Risk and Resilience Annual Conference (12-13 October, 2022). We brought together academics and practitioners to discuss the possibilities of cash assistance and futures of humanitarian aid in the context of sector-wide transformation, calls for decolonisation, and demands for greater accountability to affected communities.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://www.durham.ac.uk/research/institutes-and-centres/hazard-risk-resilience/about-us/news/ihrr-a...
 
Description Regional Humanitarian Partnership Conference 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Hanna Ruszczyk (PDRA, Durham) was invited to the Regional Humanitarian Partnership Network conference in Bangkok, Thailand, 14-19 December, 2022. Hanna facilitated a workshop on humanitarian sector transformation and digital technology. She shared GLiTCh research with practitioners from around the world.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2022
URL https://communityworldservice.asia/regional-humanitarian-partnership-week-rhpw-2022/
 
Description Seminar Series: Migration, Technologies & Postcolonial Genealogies 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Other audiences
Results and Impact A seminar series organised by Dr Martina Tazzioli, with the support of the Centre for Postcolonial Studies.

Speakers for academic year 2019/2020:

Dr.Martin Lemberg-Pedersen (Aalborg University, November 20)

Prof. Engin Isin (Queen Mary University, December 9)

Prof. Claudia Aradau (King's College, Spring term)

Prof. Sandro Mezzadra (University of Bologna, Spring term)

Prof. Nicholas De Genova (University of Houston, Spring term)

This seminar series centres on migration and technologies, drawing attention to the colonial and postcolonial genealogies of the current governmentality assemblages. In particular, it aims at fostering a debate about the mutual entanglements between the racialisation of some individuals as "migrants" and the political technologies used for governing unruly mobilities. The seminar series is characterised by an interdisciplinary approach with the purpose of challenging self-contained understanding of migration, and situating it within broader political, historical and theoretical analyses of bordering and racialising mechanisms. At the same time, it critically engages with technology, the technologisation of border security and datafication of mobility by highlighting continuities and differences with colonial modes of governmentality.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2021
URL https://sites.gold.ac.uk/politics-blog/category/seminar/
 
Description Virtual Fieldwork Training 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach Regional
Primary Audience Undergraduate students
Results and Impact Purpose: to use methodologies from the project to train undergraduate geography students at Leeds University in digital ethnography and virtual fieldwork. This was an elective component of mandatory fieldwork training during the COVID pandemic. Students were trained in qualitative methods appropriate to remote and online research, an entirely new set of skills for this cohort. All of them have been required to change their research projects to adapt to pandemic restrictions. The outcomes therefore included (1) changed behaviour in selected new research methods; (2) decisions made about how to implement those methods; (3) plans for future research.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020,2021
 
Description Webinar 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Professional Practitioners
Results and Impact Roughly 90 attendees attended (attendance rose and fell due to online format). This was an online webinar to share experiences of the EU hotspot regime between practitioners in Italy and Greece. We invited lawyers and volunteers from refugee and migrant-facing organisations. The webinar highlighted specific differences and common practices between Italy and Greece. Panelists reflected on the content of the recently announced EU Pact on Migration, which proposed the formalisation of border and migration control practices. Q & A was vibrant.
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020
 
Description Workshop on digital ethnography and virtual fieldwork 
Form Of Engagement Activity Participation in an activity, workshop or similar
Part Of Official Scheme? No
Geographic Reach International
Primary Audience Postgraduate students
Results and Impact pending
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity 2020