This week we’re talking about private hosting of Ukrainian refugees in Germany. If people fleeing war, persecution, famine, climate change or natural disasters live with private citizens, does it make a difference to how well they integrate into the country where they have sought refuge?
How does private hosting affect refugee integration? In the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, around six million displaced Ukrainians sought refuge across Europe. As public reception centres faced mounting pressure, private hosting emerged as a large-scale response, with ordinary citizens opening their homes to refugees.
In this episode, we explore whether private hosting is an effective policy option for supporting refugee integration. Drawing on new research using data from a German platform that matched Ukrainian refugees with volunteer hosts, we examine where private hosting makes a difference in refugees’ lives, where its benefits may be more limited, and what the findings mean for refugee reception policies.
Joining us is Dr Moritz Marbach, Associate Professor in Data Science and Public Policy at UCL’s Department of Political Science and co-author of the study.
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