Inequality and Security in the Aftermath of Internal Population Displacement Shocks : Evidence from Nigeria
This paper studies the security implications of internal displacement shocks for host communities. It focuses on changes in wealth within host communities induced by the inflow of internally displaced persons (IDPs) as a potential mechanism that tri...
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2022
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099956405182219719/IDU07814c0ce004af042470b7070b7d58954fcdd http://hdl.handle.net/10986/37465 |
| Summary: | This paper studies the security
implications of internal displacement shocks for host
communities. It focuses on changes in wealth within host
communities induced by the inflow of internally displaced
persons (IDPs) as a potential mechanism that triggers local
conflicts. The sudden insurgency of the jihadist terrorist
organization Boko Haram, which led to the internal
displacement of over 2.5 million persons in northeastern
Nigeria, is used as a quasi-natural experiment. Applying
both a two-way fixed effects analysis and an instrumental
variable strategy based on historical ethnic ties between
the areas of displacement and receiving areas, the results
show that the presence of IDPs is associated with a decrease
in aggregate wealth and an increase in inequality within
host communities, between 2010 and 2019. These effects are
accompanied by an increased risk of conflict onset in the
short and long run. The inequality–conflict link is likely
to be caused by grievances among low-wealth segments of the
host community towards new arrivals rather than by changes
in social cohesion within host communities, which increased
in response to the inflow of IDPs. The analysis further
indicates that an improvement in IDPs’ living conditions is
accompanied by a decrease in violence and improved relations
between hosts and IDPs. Taken together, findings from this
study call for a two-pronged immediate relief and recovery
approach that alleviates adverse economic effects on
vulnerable segments of host communities and increases IDPs’
welfare in displacement settings. |
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