Evidence Database

Switchboard has developed a database of research studies to help refugee service providers in the U.S deliver evidence-based interventions. Studies are added on an ongoing basis. Most studies included in this database are published articles identified in the process of developing Switchboard Evidence Summaries. Use the search area to find content based on criteria like outcome area, intervention, publication year, population, and study type.

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An important policy initiative implemented for the past 40 years in Canada, refugee private sponsorship has attracted international attention as Europe continues to grapple with an influx of refugees. However, no research has systematically evaluated the long-term economic outcomes of private sponsorship and whether such outcomes vary by refugees’ human capital. This study compared the […]

This study estimates the labor market effects of a work-first policy aimed at speeding up the labor market integration of refugees. The policy added new requirements for refugees to actively search for jobs and to participate in on-the-job training immediately upon arrival in the host country, Denmark. The requirements were added to an existing policy […]

Purpose: Economic self-sufficiency is the priority of U.S. refugee resettlement policy, and opportunities for economic integration are shaped by social service contexts. While reception and placement services are typically provided for 3–8 months, extended case management (ECM) involves 2 years of services. This study examines associations between economic integration outcomes—employment, income source, income, and employment […]

Formal educational qualification is increasingly built into immigrant selection systems in many countries, but in a global context, the transferability and portability of such qualifications has been questioned. In 2013, Canada introduced the requirement for a formal assessment of educational credential equivalence for applicants in the skilled worker category. In this study, we use a […]

This study used the Employment Strategies for Low-Income Adults Evidence Review (ESER) database of 235 high- or moderate-rated studies of 93 interventions testing employment strategies for low-income adults. Most strategies are associated with modest positive effects. The strategies that appear most effective are financial incentives and sanctions, education, work experience, and training. Interventions that combine […]

Helping new arrivals find jobs commensurate with their skills and experience—and with the potential for upward progression—can have positive effects on other indicators of integration, such as personal well-being and social cohesion. The case for up-front investments in labor market integration policies is especially compelling in countries facing demographic decline and skills shortages. This report […]

This Campbell systematic review examines the effects of programmes on the economic self-sufficiency and well-being of resettled refugees. The review identified 23 relevant studies but none of these could be included in the analysis due weaknesses in study design. No studies met the inclusion criteria of this review. Twenty-three studies were identified which were not […]

The gig economy refers to labour-market activities that are coordinated via mobile platforms, which are increasingly bringing together workers and purchasers of their services locally and globally. Since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis in 2011, Jordan’s almost 660,000 registered Syrian refugees account for nearly one in ten people in that country. The ability of […]

45% of refugees in Europe are women, yet little is known on their integration outcomes and the specific challenges they face. This report summarises prior research on the integration of refugee women, both compared with refugee men and other immigrant women. It also provides new comparative evidence from selected European and non-European OECD countries. Refugee […]

The Stepping Stones to Small Business programme in Australia is appreciated by participants but has shown that entrepreneurship is a problematic concept in the context of women from refugee backgrounds. Starting a small business in Australia is often discussed alongside the risk-taking attributes of entrepreneurs. This characterisation casts entrepreneurship as positive and adventurous, with the […]