News Finding: The group found that if the algorithm had selected locations for refugees' resettlement, the average employment rate among those refugees would have been roughly 41 percent higher.
Paper Finding: Our approach led to gains of roughly 40 to 70%, on average, in refugees' employment outcomes relative to current assignment practices.
News Context: The group, from Stanford and ETH Zurich, says the algorithm, which could be implemented at virtually no cost, could help resource-constrained governments and resettlement agencies find the best places for refugees to relocate. The group found that if the algorithm had selected locations for refugees' resettlement, the average employment rate among those refugees would have been roughly 41 percent higher. They predicted the employment rate would have been 73 percent higher among asylum seekers who arrived in 2013 if they had been assigned to the places the algorithm identified as optimal.
Paper Context: For the algorithm to obtain reliable predictions, it is important that the historical assignment process not be determined by unobserved refugee characteristics. Our approach led to gains of roughly 40 to 70%, on average, in refugees' employment outcomes relative to current assignment practices. This approach can provide governments with a practical and cost-efficient policy tool that can be immediately implemented within existing institutional structures.