Water security in refugee host communities: Syrian refugees in Jordan

Previous research has suggested that host communities experience positive welfare effects following a large refugee influx, with local agricultural producers receiving the largest benefits. However, this may not occur in host communities where production inputs such as water are scarce. I adapt a dynamic economic model of groundwater extraction to analyze the environmental impact of the Syrian refugee influx from 2013 onward on the Amman Wadi As-Sir aquifer in the northern region of Jordan. I then show that, given model assumptions, agricultural producers in the Jordanian Highlands experience negative welfare effects as the resource is allocated away from producing sectors of the economy in order to provide for the refugee population. The extent of this effect varies given different scenarios of repatriation or resettlement, and is long-lived as the aquifer is depleted. Finally, I discuss policy implications for increasing water security in Jordan, focusing on two fronts: long-term capacity (e.g. wastewater reuse, infrastructure rehabilitation, and/or desalination) and local capacity (e.g. community water projects). It is left for future research to test the effectiveness of specific policies.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Agricultural & Applied Econ

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Barkley, Brett R.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Chakraborty, Arnab
• Winter-Nelson, Alex E.

• Refugees
• Water Security
• Development Economics
• Resource Economics
• Middle East
• Syria
• Jordan

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2015 Brett Barkley

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/78436

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/78436