2026/04/09 by David Fitzgerald, Rawan Arar · 1 voice
paper · doi:10.1093/9780197852699.003.0003
openalex publication_date 2026/04/09 · openalex created_date 2026/04/12 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/11
Summary Forced displacement is a global phenomenon that cannot be fully understood without considering connections across countries of origin, transit, and destination. A refugee system is both (a) a social phenomenon made up of those connections, and (b) an analytical approach toward understanding displacement that builds upon systems theories, most notably Akin Mabogunje’s elaboration of a migration system. The value of a systems approach becomes clear when it is juxtaposed with siloed approaches. Silos in knowledge about displacement emerge from organizational practices, academic fields, and types of law. Scholars and practitioners in these areas inform relevant knowledge about displacement, including the types of questions asked, evidence gathered, and insights generated. Siloed approaches may achieve important goals but are limited by political or practical constraints. A systems approach reveals what silos hide and, in doing so, illuminates how siloed approaches may obscure reality and reinforce inequality. A systems approach encourages scholars to consider the source of inputs into how people make decisions about whether they will flee, when they will leave, and where they will go. The new economics of displacement, which builds from the new economics of labor migration, incorporates a household-level analysis and breaks from siloed knowledge production that is primarily concerned with the individual. Silos are not stagnant. They change as incentive structures are rearranged and organizational mandates expand, which further supports the value of questioning how knowledge is produced and can be created differently.