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The Case of a City Where 1 in 6 Residents is a Refugee: Ecological Factors and Host Community Adaptation in Successful Resettlement
Author(s) -
Scott Smith R.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
american journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.113
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1573-2770
pISSN - 0091-0562
DOI - 10.1007/s10464-008-9208-6
Subject(s) - refugee , acculturation , socioeconomic status , health psychology , host (biology) , poverty , accommodation , sociology , psychology , socioeconomics , public health , political science , immigration , ecology , medicine , population , demography , nursing , law , biology , neuroscience
The notable success of an upstate New York community in resettling refugees raises the question of whether multiple waves of resettlement over a 15‐year period have resulted in greater accommodation to refugees. Structured interviews based on transactional models of acculturation were used along with archival data to explore ecological factors supporting a host community's behavioral flexibility and perseverance in response to the influx of refugees. Evidence suggests that socioeconomic climate, historical background/social norms, and the organizational structure of agencies involved in resettlement moderate successful inclusion of refugees into a host community in a bidirectional process.