Refuge: Rethinking Refugee Policy in a Changing World

by Paul Collier, Alexander Betts Narrated by Clive Chafer

Overview

Global refugee numbers are at their highest levels since the end of World War II, but the system in place to deal with them, based upon a humanitarian list of imagined "basic needs," has changed little. In Refuge, Paul Collier and Alexander Betts argue that the system fails to provide a comprehensive solution to the fundamental problem, which is how to reintegrate displaced people into society. Western countries deliver food, clothing, and shelter to refugee camps, but these sites, usually located in remote border locations, can make things worse. The numbers are stark: the average length of stay in a refugee camp worldwide is seventeen years. Into this situation comes the Syria crisis, which has dislocated countless families, bringing them to face an impossible choice: huddle in dangerous urban desolation, rot in dilapidated camps, or flee across the Mediterranean to increasingly unwelcoming governments.



Refuge seeks to restore moral purpose and clarity to refugee policy. Rather than assuming indefinite dependency, Collier-author of The Bottom Billion-and his Oxford colleague Betts propose a humanitarian approach integrated with a new economic agenda that begins with jobs, restores autonomy, and rebuilds people's ability to help themselves and their societies.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"Among other elements of autonomy and humanitarianism, the authors vigorously discuss the absolute necessity of jobs to create "a workable system that can sustainably offer sanctuary to the world's refugees." A vital contribution to a discussion that should be at the top of world leaders' agendas." —Kirkus

"In the end, what's more important - doing good, or the appearance of doing good? If we're as pure of heart as we like to imagine, we'll seek out the policy that saves the most people, full stop. And Refuge supplies an outstanding road map for getting us there."—The National Post

"Lost in the row over Europe's migration crisis in 2015 were the millions of refugees who stayed in the developing world, unwilling or unable to journey to richer countries. Growing up in a refugee camp often means little education and no work. Two experts at Oxford University present the first comprehensive attempt in years to rethink from first principles a system that has long been hidebound by hand-wringing and old ideas."—The Economist

Kirkus Reviews

2017-06-14
A clear argument that the world needs a new approach to refugee policy.Collier (Economics/St. Antony's Coll., Oxford; Exodus: How Migration Is Changing Our World, 2013, etc.) and Betts (Forced Migration and International Affairs/Univ. of Oxford; Survival Migration: Failed Governance and the Crisis of Displacement, 2013, etc.) write that the current global refugee catastrophe is on a scale only comparable to such "major moments of international crisis" as the 1971 breakdown of the international monetary system or the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Many of the assertions and cited statistics may shock readers, especially those who are unaware of the contents of annual reports circulated by the United Nations Refugee Agency. Currently, there are more than 65 million refugees and displaced persons worldwide ("the highest proportion of the world's population ever recorded: one person in every 113"), and the number of refugees doubled over the past 8 years. Collier and Betts demonstrate beyond reasonable objection that the U.N. has become incapable of fulfilling its statutory mandate to provide protection to refugees and find long-term solutions to their plights. Though the dependence on voluntary contributions from member countries is insufficient, the agency is increasingly forced to deal with escalating problems, which is not sustainable. The authors put blame on widespread "violent disorder" and "mass violence" but note that wars—e.g., in Iraq and Syria—are extreme cases of a crisis driven by the 40 to 60 nations whose existences are considered to be fragile. Of the 65 million global displaced persons, at least 20 million are considered to be cross-border refugees. Roughly half of these are living in camps like the infamous Dadaab in Kenya, and the average stay for such camp-bound refugees is increasing. The remaining 45 million are the internally displaced, including 11 million in Syria. Among other elements of autonomy and humanitarianism, the authors vigorously discuss the absolute necessity of jobs to create "a workable system that can sustainably offer sanctuary to the world's refugees." A vital contribution to a discussion that should be at the top of world leaders' agendas.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170521722
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	09/01/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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