Policies for Belonging: A Global Comparison of Refugee Resettlement Programs

The number of countries participating in resettlement has increased substantially in recent years: since 2010, one third of resettlement countries officially began offering permanent homes to refugees. The services provided to refugees upon resettlement are surprisingly distinct, even among countries with similar political and economic contexts. Despite the importance of these services, existing scholarship offers surprisingly little comparison of resettlement policies globally. To address this gap, this multi-method project analyses refugee resettlement programs in 26 countries that are responsible for 99.9% of all resettled refugees, from 1951-present. The study introduces an original Global Resettlement Services dataset with 42 indicators that provides a current, reliable, and easily accessible overview of resettlement policies in each country. Cluster analysis of these data helped to construct a typology that captures four distinct ‘types' of refugee resettlement: Limited Provision, Cultural Transition, Core Services, and Flexible Support. This project further examines and generates hypotheses about the development of each of the four types through in-depth case studies of Brazil, Norway, Australia, and the US. The findings provide a framework to help policymakers, academics, and practitioners increase collaboration, design new resettlement programs, and identify innovative approaches to improve existing resettlement services. This research offers a comprehensive analysis of the different methods of resettling refugees worldwide, with significant implications for advancing migration theory and improving global refugee resettlement policies.