The permanent few or the temporary many? Evaluating refugee integration obstructors through implementation of the Ethiopia and Jordan Job Compacts

Abstract Following the global re-emergence of refugee self-reliance narratives in the wake of the Syria refugee displacement, development aid took on new and experimental meanings in some displacement contexts. Jordan and the EU entered into a ten-year agreement known as the Jordan Compact, an aid agreement that supports trade and job creation for refugees and host communities, in 2016. Later that year, the Ethiopia Jobs Compact was agreed with the EU and other development actors. While inspired by the Jordan Compact, policymaking to support the compact implementation in Ethiopia vastly differed from that of Jordan. More specifically, Jordan immediately implemented policy changes to support the legalization of Syrian refugee employment, while this process was delayed in Ethiopia. In 2019, the Government of Ethiopia passed a progressive Refugee Proclamation, constituting a significant legal change and commitment—a change far more sustainable, from a legal standpoint, than any of those pursued in Jordan. Accordingly, this paper explores the differences in Jobs Compact implementation, the causes behind them, and the impacts these have had on outcomes. Relying on a comparative approach of the refugee governance frameworks in each of these respective contexts, this paper argues that the difference in compact implementation, from the perspective of governance, is rooted in policy and political strategies undertaken to mitigate local integration in Jordan and Ethiopia.