Refugee-Host Solidarity & Social Cohesion as Humanitarian Objectives? Critical Studies of Host-Inclusive Refugee Programmes in Kenya and Lebanon In 2016, delegates at the New York Declaration on Refugees and Migrants called for renewed attention to the burdens faced by host countries and communities affected by the arrival of refugees. While Europe had been the focus of much media attention during the so-called "refugee crisis" in 2015, the vast majority of the world's refugees live in low- and middle-income countries of the Global South, where host communities often face economic hardships even before the arrival of displaced populations. The New York Declaration recognised that if this burden was not addressed, refugees would face increasing hostility in the countries where they seek asylum.

One response has been to include hosts in refugee programming, a strategy intended to foster social cohesion, contribute humanitarian resources to local development, and reduce xenophobia among displacement-affected communities. However, the evidence base supporting this approach is largely economic - focused on the burdens and benefits of hosting refugees - with few anthropological and sociological studies that address the more intimate social aspects of hosting that influence popular stereotypes and community relations. This is reflected in the lack of definition for policy objectives like 'social cohesion', which often refers vaguely to the sense of solidarity within or between communities. There has been little critical study of the premises upon which social cohesion programmes are devised, their effectiveness in achieving intended social outcomes, or the unintended structural and political consequences of extending the remit of humanitarian programmes to include hosts.

This project entails an in-depth ethnographic study of social cohesion programmes and the contexts in which they are implemented, bringing sociological, historical, and anthropological lenses to bear on the recent 'host inclusivity' turn in humanitarian responses to displacement. Comparative research will be undertaken in multiple sites across two countries hosting large refugee populations - Kenya and Lebanon - with a multi-disciplinary research team drawing on expertise in the areas of policy and planning studies, urban studies, and peace and security studies. Researchers will spend extended periods of participant observation among communities involved in social cohesion interventions, and community members will engage directly in the research through participatory working groups. Qualitative insights will be supplemented by a number of short quantitative impact assessments of the effectiveness of different interventions in achieving their intended social outcomes.

In addition to its academic contributions, this project would inform the strategies that humanitarian organisations adopt to reduce refugee-host tensions, improve the mutual benefits of programmes that engage both groups, and mitigate unintended outcomes. Impact will be amplified via our project partner the Jesuit Refugee Service, an international refugee protection NGO that has put 'social cohesion' at the centre of its 2018-2023 Strategic Framework. Research and development activity contributing to the UK’s strategy to address key development challenges.