GOVERNANCE OF MASS DISPLACEMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST: LEBANON AND JORDAN IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

Mass refugee movements represent a complex policy challenge to host governments, especially in developing countries. Lack of systematic evidence, and skewedness in the literature towards examining resettlement countries, points to a compelling need to understand how developing countries of first asylum respond to mass refugee displacement. This thesis compares the policy responses of Lebanon and Jordan to the Syrian Refugee Crisis. It adopts a qualitative comparative case study approach, and relies on the use of primary and secondary data collected in the field. Findings reveal that as Lebanon and Jordan were faced with the mass influx of Syrian refugees, their responses evolved over the course of the crisis (2011-2016) from being non-restrictive to semi-restrictive in nature. While their varying contextual features influenced their policy processes and choices differently, their responses converged in terms of overall degree of restrictiveness towards the refugee movement. Lessons are derived for theory and practice.