Vulnerability in the Urban Environment: A Comparative Analysis
Rae, Christopher
2009
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In 2007, the
Internal Displacement Monitoring Center estimated that the total number of individuals
who had been forcibly displaced from their homes, but remained within the territory of
boundaries of their country, surpassed 27 million. (Jennings, 2008) Known as Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs), their numbers have been steadily growing since the early
1990s. Defined by the Guiding Principles ... read moreon Internal Displacement (Guiding Principles)
as persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave
their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to
avoid the effects of armed conflict and who have not crossed an internationally
recognized state border", IDPs have overtaken refugees as the largest constituent of
forced migrants throughout the world. (Jennings, 2008; United Nation, 1998:2) But what
specifically are the protection needs of the displaced? What deprivations have
they suffered during their flight, and what distinguishes them from other
conflict-affected populations? The purpose of this study is to better understand the
experience of IDPs living in urban centers, the specific risks they face, and the means
with which they mitigate those challenges. This study examines if IDPs are more
vulnerable than voluntary (economic) migrants or their long-term resident neighbors, and
analyzes what factors most influence vulnerability in the urban context. To compare the
relative vulnerability of urban residents, the author constructed a vulnerability index
oriented around risk indicators and influencing factors drawn from the survey tools used
in the IDMC-Tufts urban IDP profiling study, which collected data from 3 urban centers
known to host large numbers of forced migrants: Santa Marta (Colombia), Khartoum
(Sudan), and Abidjan (Ivory Coast.)(Jacobsen, 2008(1); Jacobsen, 2008(2); Jacobsen, et
al, 2008(3). The index was used in a 3 model regression analysis of the Tufts-IDMC study
data: an initial model to test the validity of the index, followed a regression analysis
for each indicator of the index, and a final analysis using a composite variable built
on the six indicators of the index. Though a degree of variability was anticipated, IDPs
were expected to be more vulnerable than other city residents across a range of
indicators, and that factors such as time displaced, household composition, and
education would have a particularly significant influence on vulnerability. The findings
of this study varied considerably across each of the vulnerability indicators, as well
as the influencing factors included in the index. The results did not fully support the
hypothesis, in that IDPs were not consistently more vulnerable than other residents, but
proved less vulnerable than other residents on a number of variables, including their
access to water and steady employment. Education was found to be an important influence
on vulnerability, in that a respondent's level of education was strongly correlated with
low vulnerability. The findings did not demonstrate a strong relation between
vulnerability and the length of time of displacement, nor was it able to adequately
illuminate how a household's configuration influences vulnerability. This study found
that vulnerability was most readily identified at the household level, rather than
within a specific sub-group within the broader community, and in this regard, this study
provides further support to the hypothesis that IDPs are often vulnerable, but as a
group, aren't adequately homogenous to warrant preferential treatment prima facie.
Rather, vulnerability in the urban context, whether experienced by IDPs, voluntary
migrants, or long-time residents, must be considered at the household level, as an
analysis of the risks vulnerable groups face in the city, balanced against the means and
mechanisms they employ to mitigate those
risks.
Thesis (M.A.)--Tufts University, 2009.read less - ID:
- 4t64gz978
- Component ID:
- tufts:UA098.007.001.00002
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