Syrian refugees in Jordan and their integration in the labour market: Jordanian migration diplomacy and EU incentives

Seeberg, Peter

doi:10.1080/13629395.2020.1758452

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Jordanian governmental actors have a similarly instrumental relationship to the work permits indicator. While the Government of Jordan viewed the Compact as a means to pursue broader, long‐standing goals around investment and socio‐economic reform (Seeberg, 2022), the work permit indicator is a tool for maintaining funding flows in a context of high government debt and severe economic challenges. Reaching the targets set is important, given their significance for demonstrating successful policy reforms and collaboration, and for the disbursement of further funding.…”

Section: Increasing Work Permit Numbers: the Hollowing‐out Of The For...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Jordan Compact, Refugee Labour and the Limits of Indicator‐oriented Formalization

Lenner,

Turner

2024

Development and Change

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This article explores the significance of initiatives to formalize the labour market participation of refugees. Many practitioners believe that formalization is a panacea for improving the lives of marginalized workers, including refugees. This article argues, however, that in practice it easily becomes an indicator‐oriented exercise, where readily quantifiable targets are prioritized over substantive improvements. To this end, the article analyses the trajectory of the Jordan Compact, a flagship initiative that brought together humanitarian, development and labour actors to create ‘win‐win’ solutions for Syrians and Jordanians. Drawing on years of qualitative fieldwork in Jordan, the article traces how the Jordan Compact has made formalization an end in itself, with little regard for how much it actually benefits workers. It examines three central areas of programming: work permits, home‐based businesses and working conditions. In each area, the article demonstrates how the chosen indicators have shaped initiatives while undermining meaningful reform. Bringing together insights from humanitarianism, development and critical labour studies, the analysis shows that indicator‐oriented formalization, a form of measurement‐driven governance, ostensibly produces impressive results, yet it can simultaneously undermine longer‐term, multidimensional processes that would benefit workers more. The article advocates shifting the focus onto the individual and collective power of workers so that they can better realize the potential benefits of formalization.

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Section: Increasing Work Permit Numbers: the Hollowing‐out Of The For...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Jordan Compact, Refugee Labour and the Limits of Indicator‐oriented Formalization

Lenner,

Turner

2024

Development and Change

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“…As with self-reliance generally, its prominence arguably reflects broader neoliberal trends, efforts to contain refugees close to places of origin, and financial and political interests, rather than its success in ensuring those living in protracted displacement can lead dignified and safe lives (Chimni, 2004;Easton-Calabria, 2020;Easton-Calabria & Omata, 2018;Fakhoury & Stel, 2022;Kelberer, 2017;Seeberg, 2020). Concerning durable solutions in particular, the future horizons of such policies are unclear in a context where local integration is legally precluded, and further attention to the "afterlife of such 'solutions'" is required (Fakhoury & Stel, 2022, p. 1025.…”

Section: Self-reliance and Working For Long-term Solutionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Making Your Own Weather: Self-Reliance and Working for Resettlement Among Sudanese Refugee Men in Amman, Jordan

Jordan

2024

Refuge

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In recent years, refugee response in Jordan has centred on self-reliance, aiming to support individuals in displacement and contain further movement. However, non-Syrian refugees have been largely overlooked. This article explores the relationship between self-reliance and resettlement for Sudanese refugee men in Amman. Drawing on conceptualizations of work beyond paid labour, I show how refugees have pursued resettlement through relational, emotional, physical, and administrative work. I contribute to understandings of how forced migrants work towards long-term solutions to displacement and add to the limited literature on Sudanese displacement in Jordan.

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“…Some works have investigated the influence of geographical position and diplomatic relations on domestic migration plans, as in the case of Morocco and Turkey's policies launched in 2013 (Fernández-Molina and De Larramendi, 2020; Norman, 2020). Some others have investigated the connection between states' migration diplomacy and foreign and security policy objectives, illustrated, for example, by cooperation between the Union and Jordan since the start of the Syrian crisis in 2011 (Seeberg, 2020) and Egypt's cooperative stance on migration as evidenced by the 2016 anti-smuggling law (Völkel, 2020). But IR pundits have yet to explore the most salient features and dynamics currently at play in states' interactions on migration.…”

Section: Migration In States' Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Triangular migration diplomacy: the case of EU–Italian cooperation with Libya

Ceccorulli

2021

Riv. ital. sci. polit.

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Between 2016 and 2017, inflows along the central Mediterranean peaked, increasing pressures on the southern European border. Coordination with Libya to reduce departures has been possible thanks to the role played by Italy, backed by the Union. The diplomatic effort exhibited mainly through 2017 crafted a framework aimed at simultaneously ensuring Libya's interest in regaining full control of its sovereign prerogatives and addressing the EU's desire to reduce irregular inflows. This new framework is explored in this work through the lens of migration diplomacy with a double aim: to enrich the existing body of research by proposing a triangular analysis of migration diplomacy and to expand the literature on the external dimension of the Union's migration policy, by pointing out the political nature of migration relations and its critical aspects.

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Syrian refugees in Jordan and their integration in the labour market: Jordanian migration diplomacy and EU incentives

Cited by 13 publications

References 14 publications

The Jordan Compact, Refugee Labour and the Limits of Indicator‐oriented Formalization

The Jordan Compact, Refugee Labour and the Limits of Indicator‐oriented Formalization

Making Your Own Weather: Self-Reliance and Working for Resettlement Among Sudanese Refugee Men in Amman, Jordan

Triangular migration diplomacy: the case of EU–Italian cooperation with Libya

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