Migration and the Production of Poverty in the Refugee Camps of Jordan

Marwan Khawaja, American University of Beirut

This study examines the link between migration (into the camps) and poverty, using recent (1999) household survey data on the refugee camp populations of Jordan and a binomial logistic regression. The paper provides a descriptive demographic profile of the poor based on the head count index of adjusted poverty measure. It also compares the relative merit of the migration and the human capital explanations, controlling for demographic factors, in accounting for the incidence of poverty. The findings show a clear clustering of poverty in the camps, with about a third of households are poor. Female-headed households with children, the elderly and the economically inactive are especially vulnerable. Results from several nested regression models show that migration is not the cause of persistent poverty in the camps. On the other hand, human capital variables, especially education, and demographic factors such as household composition and age have significant effects on poverty incidence.