The Impact of Refugee Experiences on Education: Evidence from Burundi

Abstract

Previous studies suggest that displacement is one of the channels through which conflict impacts schooling outcomes. However, there is scarce evidence on this impact for those who are displaced internationally (i.e. refugees). Using data from Burundi, a country which experienced large scale conflict-led emigration and substantial post-war refugee return, we show that returning refugees are six percentage points more likely to have finished primary school than their contemporaries who never left the country. We conduct several placebo tests to demonstrate that this result is not driven by pre-conflict differences. There is no substantial effect of internal displacement on schooling outcomes.

Keywords: refugees, education, Africa

JEL Classification: F22, D74, I25