Finance in Displacement: Joint Lessons Report
By Kim Wilson (Tufts University) and Hans-Martin Zademach (KU Eichstätt-Ingolstadt) Managing finances is challenging for most people, but it is
Read more
Financial Inclusion
Mobile Money and Financial Inclusion of Refugees in Jordan – Hope or Hype?
In recent years, but especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments worldwide have increased policy support for digital financial services with the aims of making payments more efficient and making banking safer while formalizing large informal sectors. To this end, payment fees have been waived and financial service providers have been allowed to onboard new customers remotely.
Read more
Financial Inclusion for Refugees: Learning from Financial Sector Deepening Uganda
By Jayshree Venkatesan and Jeremiah Gatlin During a year that most of the world has spent locked indoors, we should
Read more
Following where Community-Driven Organizations Lead
Lessons for strengthening refugee financial integration In this issue of Fresh FINDings we feature research from Kenya, led by Julie
Read more
Putting Pieces in Place
By Ella Duncan, under the supervision of Kim Wilson. New arrivals to America must navigate ongoing identification of what American norms are and make decisions about which norms to embrace, which to merge into previously held norms, and which to discard as a poor fit. Financial norms hold a special place of importance. Deciding how to manage finances in America is directly related to the ability to provide for the well-being of oneself, one’s family, and one’s community. In a series of interviews in the fall of 2019, three Burundian immigrants in southern Maine shared their creative approaches to managing American finances.
Read moreThe Impact of Volunteer Employment on Migrant Outcomes: Ugandan Perspective
By Dan Creamer, under the supervision of Kim Wilson.
Formal employment opportunities are limited in Uganda’s economy, especially for migrants and refugees. Considering these barriers, “volunteer” jobs represent a crucial vehicle for migrants to gain new skills, build their networks, gain access to future opportunities, and even earn reasonable wages. This essay seeks to show the importance of volunteer positions for migrants, how these opportunities differ between Kampala and the Bidi Bidi Refugee Camp, and whether these volunteer opportunities are privileging specific demographic groups.
How to Achieve the American Dream on an Immigrant’s Income
By Jeffrey Ashe, Kim Wilson.
The American Dream—being able to earn a good living, buy a home, send children to school, and build a life in the United States regardless of social stature or place of birth—is an aspiration for most who immigrate to the United States. While new immigrants may be fleeing violence, poverty, and persecution—so called “push factors”—they are also pulled by the prospects of a better life for themselves and their children. Some immigrants arrive in the United States wealthy, educated, and fluent in English. These case studies focus on immigrants who may arrive with a few dollars in their pocket, struggle with English, and sometimes are without legal documents. Our research examines how immigrant households save up in groups to transform income that is irregular, uncertain, and low into regular, predictable, and meaningful sums of cash.