Host Community Attitudes Towards Internally Displaced Persons: Evidence from Al-Bab, Syria
Abstract
Considering the unique context of the Al-Bab area in Syria hosting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), we tested the role of economic individual self-interest in shaping a host community’s attitude towards IDPs. The findings from analyzing data collected from 496 households indicated that self-interest had a significant effect on their attitudes. Interestingly, when positive and negative attitudes were isolated from each other, the findings revealed that the factors shaping the former may not always be the same for the latter. The particular value of this study is in exploring the host community’s attitude towards IDPs, something which has not been studied and thus contributes to enhancing our knowledge about the attitude towards newcomers.
Downloads
References
Abedtalas, M., Aloklah, W. A., Alawak, A., Aljasem, A. & Esmaeel Zada, R. A. (2021). Top-down naturalization: Turkish government propensity and Syrian refugees' attitudes towards citizenship. Journal of Social and Development Sciences, 12(2). https://doiorg/1022610/jsdsv12i2(S)3217. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22610/jsds.v12i2(S).3217
Abedtalas, M., Toprak, L., Aoklah, W. A., Alawak, A., Aljasem, A. & Aykol, S. (2020). Determinants of the economic adaptation of refugees: the case of Midyat Camp. Journal of Refugee Studies, 24(1), 1-14 https://doiorg/101093/jrs/fey054 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jrs/feaa016
Balanche, F. (2017). Who Is Fighting Syria’s Battle of Al-Bab? BBC, February 11, 2017. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-38939492.
Berg, J. A. (2015). Explaining Attitudes toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy: A Review of the Theoretical Literature, Sociology Compass, 9(1), 23–34, DOI: 10.1111/soc4.12235. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12235
Borjas, George J. (1999). The Economic Analysis of Immigration In Handbook of Labor Economics, Volume 3B, edited by Orley Ashenfelter and David Card. Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1697–1760. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1573-4463(99)03009-6
Burns, P. & Gimpel, J. G. (2000). Economic Insecurity, Prejudicial Stereotypes, and Public Opinion on Immigration Policy. Political Science Quarterly, 115 (2), 200-225. https://doi.org/10.2307/2657900. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2657900
Cacioppo, J. T., Gardner, W. L. & Berntson, G. G. (1997). Beyond Bipolar Conceptualizations and Measures: The Case of Attitudes and Evaluative Space. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 1(1), 3-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327957pspr0101_2
Card, D., Dustmann, C. & Preston, I. (2005). Understanding attitudes to immigration: the migration and minority module of the first European Social Survey. Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration CReAM Discussion Paper No 03/05.
Card, D., Dustmann, C. & Preston, I. (2007). Understanding attitudes to immigration: the migration and minority module of the first European Social Survey. Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration CReAM Discussion Paper No 03/05.
Card, D., Dustmann, C. & Preston, I. (2012). Immigration, Wages, and Compositional Amenities. Journal of the European Economic Association, 10(1), 78–119, DOI: 10.1111/j.1542-4774.2011.01051.x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1542-4774.2011.01051.x
Ceobanu, A. M. & Escandell, X. (2010). Comparative Analyses of Public Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Immigration Using Multinational Survey Data: A Review of Theories and Research. Annual Review of Sociology, 36, 309–328, DOI: 10.1146/annurev.soc.012809.102651. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.012809.102651
Chandler, C. R. & Tsai, Y. (2001). Social factors influencing immigration attitudes: an analysis of data from the General Social Survey. The Social Science Journal, 38, 177–188, PII: S0362-3319(01)00106-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0362-3319(01)00106-9
Citrin, J., Green, D. P., Muste, C. & Wong, C. (1997). Public Opinion Toward Immigration Reform: The Role of Economic Motivations. The Journal of Politics, 59 (3), 858-881, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2998640. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2998640
Citrin, J. & Sides, J. (2008). Immigration and the Imagined Community in Europe and the United States. Political Studies, 56, 33–56, DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00716.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00716.x
Cohin, L., Manion, L. & Morrison, K. (2002). Research Methods in Education, Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203224342
Czaika, M. & Di Lillo, A. (2018). The geography of anti-immigrant attitudes across Europe, 2002–2014. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, DOI:10.1080/1369183X.2018.1427564. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1369183X.2018.1427564
Dancygier, R. M. & Donnelly, M. J. (2013). Sectoral Economies, Economic Contexts, and Attitudes toward Immigration, The Journal of Politics, 75(1), 17–35, doi:10.1017/S0022381612000849 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022381612000849
Dempster, H. & Hargrave, K. (2017). Understanding public attitudes towards refugees and migrants. Chatham House, Working paper 512.
Dustmann, C. & Preston, I. P. (2007). Racial and Economic Factors in Attitudes to Immigration. The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy Advances, 7(1), 1-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2202/1935-1682.1655
Enab Baladi. (2017). “????? ????? ‘???’.. ??? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ??????? (The City of Albab Is ‘Free’... Five Things You Did Not Know about the City).” https://enabbaladi.net/archives/133109
Esses, V. M., Jackson, L. M. & Armstrong, T. L. (1998). Intergroup Competition and Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Immigration: An Instrumental Model of Group Conflict, Journal of Social Issues, 54(4), 699-724. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1998.tb01244.x
Espenshade, T. J. & Hempstead, K. (1996). Contemporary American Attitudes Toward U. S. Immigration! International Migration Review, xxx(2), 535-570. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/019791839603000207
Facchini, G. & Mayda, A. M. (2009). Does the Welfare State Affect Individual Attitudes Toward Immigrants? Evidence Across Countries. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 91(2), 295–314. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/rest.91.2.295
Fussell, E. (2014). The warmth of the Welcome: Attitudes Toward Immigrants and Immigration Policy in the United States. Annual Review of Sociology, 40, 23.1-23.20, doi:10.1146/annurev-soc-071913-043325. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-071913-043325
Gang, I. N., Rivera-Batiz, F. L. & Yun, M. S. (2002). Economic Strain, Ethnic Concentration and Attitudes Towards Foreigners in the European Union, IZA DP No. 578 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.331475
Gordon, S. L. (2016). Welcoming refugees in the rainbow nation: contemporary attitudes towards refugees in South Africa. African Geographical Review, 35(1), 1-17, DOI: 10.1080/19376812.2014.933705. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19376812.2014.933705
Hainmueller, J. & Hopkins, D. J. (2013). Public Attitudes toward Immigration. University College London, Centre for Research and Analysis of Migration CReAM, CDP No 15/13. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2289270
Hanson, G. H., Scheve, K. & Slaughter, M. J. (2007). Public Finance and Individual Preferences over Globalization Strategies. Economics and Politics, 19(1), 1-33. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0343.2007.00300.x
Hernes, G. & Knudsen, K. (1992). Norwegians' Attitudes Toward New Immigrants, Acta Sociologica, 35(2), 123-139, http://www.jstor.org/stable/4194763. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/000169939203500204
Kessler, A. (2001). Immigration, Economic Insecurity, and the "Ambivalent" American Public, CCIS, wp 41.
Lee, D. & Wolpin, K. I. (2006). Intersectoral Labor Mobility and the Growth of the Service Sector. Econometrica, 74(1), 1–46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0262.2006.00648.x
Mayda, A. M. (2006). Who Is Against Immigration? A Cross-Country Investigation of Individual Attitudes toward Immigrants. The Review of Economics and Statistics, 88(3), 510-530, http://www.jstor.org/stable/40043013. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/rest.88.3.510
McLaren, L. & Johnson, M. (2007). Resources, Group Conflict and Symbols: Explaining Anti-Immigration Hostility in Britain. Political Studies, 55, 709–732, DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00680.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2007.00680.x
O’Rourke, K. H. & Sinnott, R. (2006). The determinants of individual attitudes towards Immigration. European Journal of Political Economy, 22, 838– 861, doi:10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2005.10.005. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2005.10.005
Palmer, D. L. (1996). Determinants of Canadian Attitudes Toward Immigration: More Than Just Racism? Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 28(3), 180-192. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0008-400X.28.3.180
Pantoja, A. (2006). Against The Tide? Core American Values and Attitudes Toward US Immigration Policy in the Mid-1990s. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 32(3), 515-531, DOI: 10.1080/13691830600555111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13691830600555111
Pedersen, A., Attwell, J. & Heveli, D. (2005). Prediction of negative attitudes toward Australian asylum seekers: False beliefs, nationalism, and self-esteem. Australian Journal of Psychology, 57(3), 148 – 160, DOI: 10.1080/00049530500125157. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00049530500125157
Quillian, L. (1995). Prejudice as a Response to Perceived Group Threat: Population Composition and Anti-Immigrant and Racial Prejudice in Europe. American Sociological Review, 60(4), 586-611, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2096296. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/2096296
Savelkoul, M., Scheepers, P., Tolsma, J. & Hagendoorn, L. (2011). Anti-Muslim Attitudes in The Netherlands: Tests of Contradictory Hypotheses Derived from Ethnic Competition Theory and Intergroup Contact Theory. European Sociological Review, 27(6), 741–758, DOI:10.1093/esr/jcq035. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcq035
Scheve, K. F. & Slaughter, M. J. (2001). Labor Market Competition and Individual Preferences over Immigration Policy, The Review of Economics and Statistics, 83(1), 133-145, http://www.jstor.org/stable/2646696. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1162/003465301750160108
Semyonov, M., Raijman, R., Tov, A. Y. & Schmidt, P. (2004). Population size, perceived threat, and exclusion: a multiple-indicators analysis of attitudes toward foreigners in Germany. Social Science Research, 33, 681–701, doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2003.11.003. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2003.11.003
Sides, J. & Citrin, J. (2007). European Opinion About Immigration: The Role of Identities, Interests and Information. British Journal of Political Science, 37, 477-504, doi:10.1017/S0007123407000257. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123407000257
Support Coordination Unit. (2017). “????? ?????? (Dynamo Report).
Syrian Statistics Collection. (2011). http://cbssyr.sy/yearbook/2011/Data-Chapter15/TAB-5-15-2011.htm.
Tucci, I. (2005). Explaining Attitudes towards Immigration: New Pieces to the Puzzle, DIW Berlin, Discussion Paper 484.
UNHCR. (2021). Syria Emergency, https://www.unhcr.org/syria-emergency.html, accessed on 26-03-2021.
Wilkes, R., Guppy, N. & Farris, L. (2008). No Thanks, We're Full": Individual Characteristics, National Context, and Changing Attitudes Toward Immigration. International Migration Review, 42(2), 302-329, DOI: 10.HH/j.1747-7379.2008.00126.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747-7379.2008.00126.x
Wilson, J. R. & Lorenz, K. A. (2015). Modeling Binary Correlated Responses using SAS, SPSS and R, Springer International Publishing, Switzerland. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-23805-0
Copyright (c) 2022 Musallam Abedtalas, Adnan Rashid Mamo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of a revised paper, the editorial team edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.
This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.
