Inaugural Session of the Forced Displacement Working Group Hosted by PDRI-DevLab

The PDRI-DevLab hosted the inaugural session of the Forced Displacement Working Group at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in Washington, D.C. Approximately 45 researchers and practitioners from academic and policy institutions, including the Center for Global Development, the World Bank JDC, and Princeton University, attended and participated in presentations, open-forum discussions, and lightning talks. Topics covered included research on livelihood and social cohesion challenges faced by refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs), and children, as well as addressing the challenges associated with data collection and analytics in these contexts.

The conference comprised five sessions and several presenters, including Erik Wibbels and Guy Grossman from the PDRI-DevLab. The first session explored sustainable livelihoods for refugees and forcibly displaced persons, focusing on economic inclusion and labor market integration. The second session promoted discussion around social cohesion, particularly in schools for displaced children, and their life outcomes as they grow into adults. Session three addressed the difficulties and challenges associated with data collection in the displacement space and how to maximize durable solutions with socioeconomic surveys and data. Attendees then participated in lightning talks, discussing strategies for optimizing data challenges, building refugee networks, and minimizing migrant vulnerability. The conference concluded with voluntary group discussions on the topics presented during the working group.