Absorptive capacity of refugee host communities

Guest Speakers: Erika Frydenlund & Jose Padilla, Virginia Modeling, Analysis & Simulation Center (VMASC), Old Dominion University
The rapid, unexpected arrival of displaced populations into a host country or community puts demands on critical infrastructure, society, and governance. Proper planning and humanitarian management can mitigate the impacts on the host community and enhance safety and support for forced migrants. However, very few host communities are prepared, and in many cases these unexpected arrivals exacerbate or engender social instability. We look at the cases of Greece and Colombia to analyze the timelines of humanitarian response from 2015 to 2020 using a mixed-method approach involving qualitative, quantitative, and computational modeling research methods. Understanding the evolution of host communities’ response-from individual to government actors-provides insight into the timing and intensity of interventions, as well as their impacts on social stability and support for humanitarian response. Our research establishes a framework characterizing the evolution of humanitarian response from the perspective of host community stability.
Bios
Erika Frydenlund is a Research Assistant Professor at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center at Old Dominion University. Her primary research focus is on migration and mobility. Much of her work focuses on combining quantitative and qualitative data in simulations for understanding the emergence, dynamics, and consequences of human migration and displacement. [e-mail] | @ErikaFrydenlund (Twitter)
Jose J. Padilla is a Research Associate Professor at the Virginia Modeling, Analysis and Simulation Center at Old Dominion University. His primary research focuses on advancing computational modeling methods towards increasing modeling accessibility across ages and across disciplines. His research takes him from the office to in-country fieldwork to generate insight into topics ranging from forced migration to community resilience. [e-mail] | @jojpa (Twitter)