Speaker
Description
Refugee' livelihoods have recently attracted attention as they are increasingly caught up in and related to major global transitions in climatic, economic and social systems. In particular, human-made disasters and mass migrations make it necessary to examine the livelihood vulnerability of refugees. The United Nation’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals adopt a livelihoods approach to emphasise capital assets that reflect people's adaptive capabilities and sensitivities. A sustainable livelihood can maintain resources and reproduce capital assets against shock and stresses. The study contributes to the existing literature by addressing an existing gap in research on livelihood vulnerability assessments at the household level for Syrian refugees in Türkiye. The capital-based approach allows the incorporation of context-specific and community-specific variables associated with Syrian refugees besides variables commonly used in vulnerability assessments. The study assesses the livelihood vulnerability of Syrian refugees based on a capital framework and vulnerability dimensions (exposure, vulnerability and adaptive capacity) determined by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) by creating a Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) to capture socio-economic problems, the presence or absence of diverse forms of capitals, and problems of organisation or balance among these capital types. The research questions are as following: What is the level of LVI of Syrian refugees, and what type of capitals make it more or less vulnerable? What dimension of vulnerability is more effective on vulnerability? How should planning strategies regulate the distribution and reproduction of capitals in refugee-dense areas? A mixed method was employed by including both qualitative and quantitative analyses to maximise the reliability of the research. The capital-based livelihood approach is based on five types of capital: human, social, financial, physical and natural. Syrian refugees were selected as a vulnerable group due to the difficulties they face as a result of the Syrian Civil War and forced displacement. The study area is Basmane, Agora and Kadifekale neighbourhoods of Konak District of Izmir, where Syrian refugees densely live. The literature review, field visits, discussions with vulnerable Syrian refugees, and in-depth interviews with non-governmental organisations, and household surveys were employed in order to grasp their needs, perspectives, and experiences. The study primarily relied on data derived from household surveys exploring or gaining a more nuanced understanding of complex issues related to livelihood vulnerability. The findings show that Syrian refugees have highly vulnerable level of LVI, and their vulnerability based on financial capital is the highest, while human capital is the least. Considering vulnerability dimensions, exposure, which includes indicators of hazards, climatic variability, population growth and occupation, is more effective contributing factor to livelihood vulnerability. Adaptive capacity of Syrian refugees is weak due to mainly indicators' values of housing ownership, education, livelihood strategies, socio-economic status and minority/language. In conclusion, physical and natural capital reflect high exposure level of Syrian refugees, while social, human and financial capitals reflect Syrians' capabilities and sensitivities. The study area, which is already a slum, has experienced an increase in inequalities and scarcity of resources due to an imbalance in the types of capital belonging to the host community and vulnerable groups, and the sharing of capitals among them. Planning as a transformative factor should develop convenient practices and strategies to reproduce capital and regulate the distribution of capital to cope with stressors or shocks according to specific characteristics of community and context.
| Keywords | Vulnerable Syrian Population; Refugee Crisis; Livelihood Capital |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
