1. INTRODUCTION

Purpose

The Department of Labour commissioned this annotated bibliography and thematic review of New Zealand and international literature on factors involved in the long-term settlement of refugees, as part of the wider research programme entitled Quota Refugees Ten Years On: Perspectives on Integration, Community and Identity. Through this annotated bibliography and thematic review, the Department hopes to gain a comprehensive understanding of the New Zealand and international literature on the long-term integration of refugees and to gain knowledge about the factors that facilitate or act as barriers to integration.

Background and context

For its population, New Zealand is one of the highest migrant receiving countries in the world and has been receiving migrants from increasingly diverse countries over time. It is also one of a small number of countries that has committed to an annual intake of refugees. In New Zealand, these refugees are referred to as 'quota refugees'. The approach that New Zealand has taken to immigration has implications for our current and future diversity.

Although refugees make up only a relatively small number of newcomers, they comprise a distinct, significant and often very visible component of our demographic. The context in which they come as forced migrants in need of protection is markedly different from that of New Zealand's other migrants who chose to settle here and are selected on criteria associated with successful settlement outcomes.

The vision and goals of New Zealand's Settlement Strategy (Department of Labour 2004^[2]) establish the New Zealand's government's overall approach to the settlement of migrants and refugees. The vision is:

New Zealand's prosperity is underpinned by an inclusive society, in which the local and national integration of newcomers is supported by responsive services, a welcoming environment and a shared respect for diversity.

The Quota Refugees Ten Years On programme is focused on examining the perspectives of people who arrived in New Zealand through the quota refugee programme ten or more years ago. This research programme builds on the Department of Labour's Refugee Voices research project, which focused on refugee resettlement in New Zealand (New Zealand Immigration Service 2004 [A37]).

This current annotated bibliography complements other bibliographies and literature reviews that have been completed or are in progress. They include Elliott and Gray (2000), Fletcher (2001), Gray and Elliott (2001), Nam and Ward (2006), Higgins (2008) and Trlin and Bedford (unpublished draft).^[3] This bibliography has been organised to address the Department of Labour's interest in gaining an overview of the research on long-term integration issues for former refugees on:

• integration models, measures and indicators
• identity and citizenship
• community and social networks
• resettlement of future refugees.

Where possible, distinctions have been made between research focusing on the first generation of refugees and the 1.5 generation, and research that focuses on subsequent generations, as well as distinguishing between refugee type (whether quota or asylum), refugee nationality and refugee receiving country.

In line with the Department of Labour brief, information has also been captured on the methods used to research factors relating to the long-term integration of refugees.

Methodology

A list of key search terms was agreed with the Department of Labour and a brief was developed based on these terms. A search of key bibliographic databases was undertaken by the Ministry of Social Development according to this brief. The researchers reviewed the results of these searches and requested items that met criteria for inclusion. In undertaking this review, researchers also conducted their own internet searches expanding the original list of search terms (for example, in order to source further works by particular authors, and as they became aware of country-specific terminology relating to refugees and integration). In addition, the Department of Labour provided printed material and links to relevant internet websites throughout the project. The search focused on items published between 1998 and 2008, although some earlier material has been included where it was considered particularly useful. The search concentrated on academic research in peer-reviewed journals, commissioned reports and reports by national and international organisations.

In its brief, the Department of Labour suggested the following as the scope of the review:

INCLUSIONS	EXCLUSIONS
As far as possible, the literature should be refugee-specific. Where the literature pertains to both migrants and refugees, consultation with the Department of Labour will be required regarding the potential inclusion of highly relevant material.	Migration literature in general.
As far as possible, the literature should focus on quota refugees (or equivalent). Where the literature includes both asylum seekers (or convention refugees) and quota refugees, these should be differentiated using keywords.	Literature exclusively focused on asylum seekers or convention refugees[4] or issues relating to these refugee types.
The literature should be focused on the long-term integration of refugees. Literature on the initial resettlement experiences of refugees and initial provision of services to refugees should only be included if the [experiences and services] are discussed in relation to the long-term integration of refugees.	Literature solely focused on the initial resettlement of refugees.

Overview of literature

Although the Department of Labour was looking for research specifically on the factors involved in the long-term settlement/integration of refugees, it was difficult to find much material that fitted this brief exactly. As far as possible, material was selected keeping the Department's limitations in mind. Some material from the broader categories has been included where it had relevance to longer-term settlement or made general points about integration and social cohesion.

The following points outline the general nature of the literature found:

• There is little literature that specifically focuses on long-term settlement of refugees.
• It is often difficult to tell what timeframe the material refers to, but the implication is usually that it applies to resettlement in the shorter rather than the longer term.
• Papers do not always distinguish between migrants and refugees - papers often urge researchers to include a refugee perspective in their work.
• Papers reflect recent refugee movements, with papers on Bosnian/Kosovar and Somali refugees dominating recent writing. The papers that clearly have a longer-term focus often discuss Asian groups - Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian.
• Material on employment often refers to geographic dispersal and the need to link that with employment opportunities. It also discusses the barriers refugees face and how they go about getting jobs.
• Only a few papers address housing issues, either as a stand-alone topic or in association with economic participation and integration.
• With the specialist information on health, it is often hard to tell how long after initial settlement medical conditions can be expected to prevail.
• It was apparent that governments, academics and researchers from the NGO sectors of several other countries that receive quota refugees are considering similar issues, sometimes as part of a wider region (for example, the European Union or Nordic States) or at a subnational level (for example, particular states within Canada or Australia). This is evident in the range of research over the past decade aimed at describing the experience of refugees and/or host country members and identifying useful indicators or the factors that act as barriers or facilitators to long-term settlement, integration or social cohesion.
• Some research has a broad focus on the total experience of refugees, while other research focuses on a single or subset of elements (for example, housing or health and wellbeing).
• Some research focuses specifically on the experiences of particular groups of refugees based on their nationality and/or ethnicity, gender, age (including children, youth, the 1.5 generation refugees and older refugees) or those with disabilities.

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