Refugee Opportunity Index
The RIN, in partnership with the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), is developing the Refugee Opportunity Index (ROI) aimed at shining a light on national policy shortcomings in an effort to incentivize pro-refugee policy reforms that will support the growth of inclusive economies.
The ROI will allow for comparisons of policies impacting refugees (most often negatively) across countries and against a set of actionable metrics. The Index will empower RIN to interact with key public and private stakeholders, to amplify its core message, and to participate in policy and investor community initiatives that advance economic freedom for refugees.
The ROI will:
- Be an objective, scalable, and data-driven tool to measure and incent policy reform;
- Highlight specific refugee policy strengths or weaknesses at a national or regional level;
- Provide a benchmark for basing reform efforts to affect positive change;
- Attract attention from the capital community, media, NGOs and other stakeholders who can bring pressure to bear for reform;
- Promote the tracking and measurement of policy reform over time.
We received seed funding from USA for UNHCR for the Index and convened a panel of experts in Washington, D.C. to develop the analytical framework. We have completed the literature review, which draws on over 40 publicly available reports to identify factors relevant to enabling or accelerating the integration of refugees into host communities.
Our Framework
The Index is built on 45 sub-indices targeting three broad policy and market segments:
1. Refugee admissions, integration, and resettlement policy: Refugees’ access to economic opportunity is dependent upon clear, funded policies and laws that give refugees the opportunity to enter host nations and to meet their most basic needs.
2. Basic rights and access to services: Refugees’ self reliance depends on their ability to enjoy the same rights and access to basic services as citizens living in their host communities.
3. Employment conditions: Access to economic opportunity for refugees is rooted in support for and removing barriers to a refugee’s right to work or own a business.
Country Profiles
(More to come)
