Refugee Mobility: Evidence from Phone Data in Turkey

Our research report employs the D4R data and combines it with several
<br />other sources to study one of the multiple aspects of integration of refugees, namely
<br />the mobility of refugees across provinces in Turkey. In particular, we employ a
<br />standard gravity model to empirically estimate a series of determinants of refugee
<br />movements. These include the standard determinants such as province characteristics,
<br />distances across provinces, levels of income, network effects as well as some
<br />refugee-specific determinants such as the presence of refugee camps and the intensity
<br />of phone call interaction among refugees. Importantly, we explore the effect
<br />of certain categories of news events, notably protests, violence, and asylum grants.
<br />Considering news as an indicator of policy implemented at the provincial level, we
<br />gain a better understanding as to how policy can facilitate refugee mobility and thus
<br />enhance integration. To benchmark our findings, we estimate the same model for the
<br />mobility of individuals with a non-refugee status.