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Integration of Syrian refugees

effects on job opportunities for the native population should be minimized. Otherwise, unemployment and negative
attitudes toward refugees may increase. Policies must consider these conflicting objectives and effects, as well as tailor
actions according to local socioeconomic and demographic conditions.
Successful social and economic policies to address the refugee crisis demand collaborative efforts in terms of
planning, implementing, monitoring, and assessing initiatives at different levels. Interagency cooperation in the public
sector is essential. Coordination and empowerment of local offices can help with the implementation of context-specific
policies. Partnerships between public agencies and private institutions are important to support activities that improve
refugee integration and employment creation. These activities include job provision, language training, and release of
work permits. While refugees might be unable to vote, governments should consider the concerns that refugees have in
regards to their livelihoods.
This study was limited by the lack of survey data from refugees in host countries. Host governments should consider
recording and sharing detailed socioeconomic and demographic information about refugees. Improvements in record
keeping and data sharing with stakeholders would provide a better evaluation of existing policies and formulation of new
interventions.
Future studies could continue to investigate the long-term effects of population inflows. In the past, population inflows
have been shown to increase the labor supply and labor market competition, raise demand for services, and stimulate
economic development in receiving areas. These analyses could also examine the economic adjustments experienced by
labor markets with high levels of immigration.
Authors’ Contributions

Ernesto Amaral reviewed and analyzed the literature related to economic integration, reviewed policies and legislation,
as well as coordinated and conducted data analysis. Mahlet Woldetsadik reviewed and analyzed the literature related to
policies and legislation aimed at refugees in the selected host countries. Gabriela Armenta searched for publicly available
databases and conducted data analysis. All authors contributed to writing the final manuscript.

Ethics
This research only analyzed publicly available secondary databases, which do not require Institutional Review Board
(IRB) approval.
Acknowledgments

This study was conducted with support from the Pardee Initiative for Global Human Progress at RAND Corporation
(https://www.prgs.edu/pardee-initiative.html).
Conflicts of Interest

No conflicts of interest were reported by all authors.
References

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Australia-Government (2001). Migration Legislation Amendment Act 1989. Canberra, Australia: Federal Register of Legislation.
Available from: https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/C2006C00043. [Last Accessed on: Sep 28, 2018].
Australian-Government (2015). Migration Amendment (Protection and Other Measures) Act 2015. Canberra, Australia: Federal
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