Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: This paper addresses the role secular and faith based non-governmental organizations (NGOs) play in refugee resettlement. Very little research has been conducted on refugee resettlement NGOs. Most scholarly research on refugees focuses on emergency humanitarian assistance by international organizations, and few researchers have paid attention to refugees after they have migrated to a resettlement country. I examine how NGOs assist in the process of refugee resettlement in the United States. I use qualitative interviews with resettlement NGO staff in four cities (Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Sacramento). I describe what services resettlement NGOs provide to refugees, and how faith-based and secular NGOs are different from or similar to each other. Finally, I consider how the current political climate resulting from the September 11 attacks has affected resettlement NGOs. This research contributes to our knowledge of how the nonprofit sector and government agencies collaborate to help refugees resettle and adapt to life in the U.S. It uncovers the changes in resettlement policies in the U.S. since the September 11 attacks, and how resettlement NGOs have adapted to these new conditions. The findings from this project also contribute to immigration studies broadly by more fully theorizing the state.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Refugees from Burma have been displaced in Thailand for over 20 years, with durable solutions hitherto available to only a small number. Since 2005, however, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN body charged with the protection of refugees, has initiated a resettlement process, partially based on its emphasis on the value of the “strategic use of resettlement,” a concept espoused for its potential to unlock pathways to other improvements for refugees. This paper critically examines UNHCR’s “strategic use of resettlement” as it applies to Burmese refugees in Thailand. Given the fact that not all refugees will resettle, the question remains: strategic for whom? Extensive participatory research with NGOs, CBOs, and refugees at all nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burmese border reveals three populations for whom resettlement remains problematic: first, the remaining camp population finds itself bereft of resources (particularly skilled workers) in the wake of resettlement. Second, non-camp refugees in Thailand (who are not permitted to resettle) now live in a more restrictive environment than they did before the advent of resettlement. Third, internally displaced persons (IDPs) still living in Burma remain particularly vulnerable, both in the pursuit of livelihoods and in resisting the current regime.This paper draws links between the advent of resettlement and these three areas of concern. It demonstrates that resettlement has unintended negative consequences for portions of the non-resettling refugee population. It concludes with a section that discusses the policy and programmatic responses that might seek to alleviate some of these unintended consequences.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: People�s plight as a result of forced resettlement and displacement during the creation and maintenance of national parks and protected areas in many African and Asian countries has been a genuine concern for conservation scientists and professionals. We investigate resident�s social and economic wellbeing following a citizen-initiated resettlement program in Nepal. Findings are based on a household survey (n=322) designed to compare respondents� evaluation of wellbeing factors in old and new Padampur. Mixed outcomes were found regarding respondents� evaluations of their wellbeing, but many were considered positive (e.g. improved access to health services, secure land title, reduced landlessness and continued strong social ties after the resettlement). Anticipated marginalization was reduced through increased support services and women�s empowerment programs. However, respondent evaluated that there were losses of traditional Tharu cultural activities, fewer farm-based jobs, a scarcity of water, and lower food production. Of particular concern in Padampur is the need to increase off-farm economic opportunities and water availability. This study suggests conservation related resettlement should be reconsidered in light of the Padampur model.

Publication Type: Juried Paper
Abstract: The proposed paper focuses on the organization of the rural resettlement program of the Resettlement Administration (RA) and Farm Security Administration (FSA) during the mid-1930s in the southern United States. The theoretical focus of this paper concentrates on how states organize development schemes and the dynamic that exists between state and local management of communities and shared resources. Using social theories of state and anthropological commons theory, this paper will identify the rural resettlement program as an experiment in joint-management. Positioning the rural resettlement program of the RA/FSA as a co-management system, this paper also identifies the conditions that made this program successful, and the conditions that ultimately led to the failure of many of the initiated resettlement communities. Supporting data include a history of the organization of the resettlement program and a more focused history of two southern resettlement communities.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Review Method: Peer Reviewed
Abstract: �Can the private or public sector provide the conditions necessary to mitigate the impoverishment associated with relocation due to induced development? Our presentation presents the preliminary results from our study of the impacts generated by the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the social development, health, and culture of the Pehuenche Indians in Alto B�o B�o, Chile. The dam construction implicates the resettlement of approximately 90 indigenous families from their ancestral lands to two new communities. The resettled families have better material conditions after resettlement with a new house, potable water, and a sewage system. However, we have observed social problems such as alcoholism and family disintegration that indicates, �Not everything shiny is gold.�
The private company ENDESA, owner of the dam in construction, is implementing a resettlement and technical assistance program to improve the situation of the resettled families. However, given that their characterization of the communities previous living conditions as a poverty due to lack of material necessities, their program is based on addressing their emptiness with the provision of manual training, and agricultural inputs, etc. An improvement in material conditions is without a doubt an important component in their quality of life, yet it will be temporary if programs that increase the options as well as the control the resettled families have on their lives do not accompany it. Unfortunately, the process has does not contemplate the immaterial aspects, creating a situation of greater vulnerability and social exclusion. Among the impacts observed are the community�s lack of self-determination community atomization, irregular practice of traditional ceremonies, alcoholism, and a feeling of incapacity with respect to change. Our preliminary conclusions are based on the qualitative and quantitative research carried out in the Pehuenche Community Ayin Mapu.