Evaluating the Role of Infrastructure Components and Demographics on Social Capital in Refugee Camps

Abstract

An important asset for displaced people residing in refugee camps is social capital. Social capital, which represents the social networks built among displaced people, the host community, and government actors, helps displaced people access services not adequately provided by camp managers. Despite the known importance of social capital for displaced people, researchers do not fully understand how it is fostered or inhibited by the design of a refugee camp. This research thus explores the following question: which salient infrastructure components and demographic characteristics in a refugee camp foster social capital? At a Greek refugee camp, researchers distributed 68 surveys to evaluate how salient infrastructure components in the camp environment affect bonding, bridging, and linking social capital. Salient infrastructure components represent, in this study, what the displaced persons identify as the most important infrastructure components in the camp environment. Linear regression is used to identify demographics (e.g., gender, nationality, age, asylum status, family status, and marital status) and salient infrastructure components (e.g., internal lighting and kitchen utensils) that influence bonding and bridging social capital. Interestingly, the research team found that demographics and salient infrastructure components had no relationship with linking social capital. This research proposes methods for policymakers and camp managers to identify the factors that drive the formation of social capital. Once these factors are identified, camp managers will be able to make targeted changes in the camp environment that could foster the formation of social capital.