The management of the refugee phenomenon in low and high-income countries: a comparison between Kenya, Tanzania and Italy

Abstract

This dissertation aims at drawing a clear prospect of the factors involved in the phenomenon of refugees. In particular, this thesis faces the issue of the impact of refugees on the hosting nations by a juridical, economic and social perspective. In fact, the focus of this thesis is concentrated on the actions of Tanzania and Kenya, as they represent hosting nations that are also low-income countries, in order to differentiate them with the Italian reality, a high-income hosting nation. The first chapter deals generally with refugees, describing how the related juridical literature was born, and how refugees are concerned in international law; then it explains how they can affect the hosting countries, but also the nations of origin, by an economic and social point of view. The second chapter goes deeply into the issue, analysing the cases of Tanzania and Kenya, being two low-income countries hosting a huge number of refugees, respectively Burundian and Congolese on one side, and Somali and South Sudanese on the other. The aim is to identify the different managements of the phenomenon, not only by trying to find analogies or divergences between the two African states, both called to answer to the demand of protection, but also by considering the remarkable differences existing between the before-mentioned countries. In addition, the third chapter is aimed at illustrating how Italian management is different, and especially, how the presence of European Union influences its management. In conclusion, considering that the refugee phenomenon is itself implying a situation of emergence, it is deductible that in the short term, it can affect the host country, but it can also represent an asset for economies and societies.