Reshaping Locals’ Attitudes toward Migrants during Wartime in Afghanistan
Seminar Series on Displacement, Migration, and Integration:
Reshaping Locals’ Attitudes toward Migrants during Wartime in Afghanistan
Friday, December 2 at 8:00AM PT / 11:00AM ET
Intergroup contact and its effects on relationships between local residents and internally displaced persons (IDPs) has been understudied, particularly in fragile and conflict-affected settings. In this EGAP Displacement, Migration, and Integration seminar series event on December 2nd, we shared the results from a randomized controlled trial conducted during a period of conflict in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The study analyzed whether prolonged contact improved relationships between local residents and IDPs, through a vocational skills training program that emphasized hands-on collaborative learning.
Researchers Yang-Yang Zhou (University of British Columbia) and Jason Lyall (Dartmouth College) discussed the findings that emerge from their research and the implications of those insights for organizations working to improve intergroup contact between IDPs and locals in wartime settings. Bret Barrowman (International Republican Institute) served as a discussant and EGAP Member Alexandra Scacco (WZB) moderated the seminar.
This event featured an introduction of EGAP’s Displacement, Migration, & Integration priority theme followed by a panel discussion and an audience Q&A session.
Panel: Yang-Yang Zhou (University of British Columbia), Jason Lyall (Dartmouth College), Bret Barrowman (International Republican Institute)
Host and Moderator: Alexandra Scacco (WZB)
Watch the full presentation below. After viewing the recording, please post a comment or question at the bottom of the page to participate in an ongoing discussion on this topic. If you prefer to download/listen to it as a podcast, click here.
Panelists
Yang-Yang Zhou is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of British Columbia, a Harvard Academy Scholar, and a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar. She studies the causes and consequences of migration, with a focus on conflict, development, and national identity. Zhou also co-hosts a political science podcast called Scope Conditions.
Jason Lyall is the James Wright Chair in Transnational Studies and an Associate Professor of Government in the Department of Government at Dartmouth College. He also directs the Political Violence FieldLab at the John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth. He served as Technical Adviser for USAID’s MISTI Initiative in Afghanistan (2012-15). His research explores the dynamics and effects of violence in conventional wars and insurgencies, including how economic assistance and coercion interact to affect attitudes and behavior of civilians and insurgents.
Bret Barrowman is a Senior Specialist for Research and Evaluation at the International Republican Institute, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that implements democracy and governance programs worldwide. He supports the development of applied social scientific research and evaluation methods across the Institute’s thematic and regional portfolios.
Moderator
Alexandra Scacco is a Senior Research Fellow in the Institutions and Political Inequality unit at the WZB. Her work focuses on the causes and consequences of individual decisions in conditions of extreme risk, where potential costs are high and benefits uncertain. Scacco’s methodological interests focus on improving measurement in field-based research and knowledge aggregation in social science.