The Link between Forced Migration and Conflict

Abstract

This chapter examines the link between forced migration as a response to environmental degradation on the one hand, and conflict and security in host countries, on the other. From a political science perspective, the authors review existing research on migration as a reason for conflict, with a particular focus on refugees. They show that forced migrants per se do not influence violence in host countries, but only in those cases where refugees are socially and economically marginalized. Also, when aid services are unequally distributed to them and host communities. Thus, the authors highlight the need for governments to pursue inclusionary socio-economic policies towards their population and refugees as a prevention against dangerous tensions. They also present the limitations of current knowledge and indicate future research to solve the challenges associated with forced displacement.

Refugees and Covid‐19: Beyond Health Risks to Insecurity

“…Health risks: Past research has underlined that refugees may cause negative effects in the asylum country, including pressures on the public health system or the spread and outbreak of diseases (Crisp 2000; Hargreaves et al 2020; Rüegger and Bohnet 2020; Salehyan and Gleditsch 2006). During conflict, healthcare usually breaks down, contributing to a rise in infectious diseases, which then can spread to asylum countries (Crudo and Lenze 2017; Petersen et al 2013).…”