Democracy in Displacement: A Comparative Study of Liberian Refugees in Ghana

博士论文研究题目：流离失所中的民主：加纳利比里亚难民的比较研究（马克思·费里（PI）和伊丽莎白·霍尔泽（co-PI））摘要：这是一项关于惨淡环境中的民主的研究。它提出的问题是：民主是如何在难民营中得到培育或变得难以捉摸的？难民营是在国际法薄弱的阴影下存在的。尽管难民援助政策最初有希望，但到20世纪末，它已经脱离了最初基于权利的授权。难民营是慈善和纪律社会控制的结合体，是新秩序的象征。但是，即使在政治排斥的情况下，政治实践仍在继续，民主以复杂的方式继续存在。要求为12个月的实地工作提供经费，以比较在加纳的两组利比里亚难民的经历：住在布杜布拉姆难民定居点的难民营难民和试图在首都阿克拉融入社会的城镇难民。本论文将民主研究和难民研究这两种通常被视为不相关的研究传统结合起来，为三个研究问题做出贡献：(1)政治排斥中的民主：被排除在政治参与之外如何塑造民主实践？(2)冲突后环境中的公民参与：暴力冲突的幸存者如何重新参与（或不参与）政府和非政府机构？(3)执行国际人权法：当宣布人权，而政治自治受到限制时，对民主敏感性的后果是什么？更广泛的影响1999年，美国和其他国家赞助了利比里亚冲突后的选举。选举失败，战争再起。Kamara（1999）在评价失败的选举时引用了普遍缺乏关于民主的实践知识。当美国国际开发署首次对冲突后选举进行重大评估时，它分析了不同“选民教育”项目的优点，这证明了这些挑战的广泛相关性。在利比里亚，像其他地方一样，返回的难民将塑造新兴的政治格局。人们在难民营中经历了社会生活模式的巨大转变，学习了在其他环境中对他们有益或有害的习俗。它可以是增长的时期，也可以是腐败的时期。难民从公民参与中学到的东西对民主转型很重要，因为民主需要公民习惯的蓬勃发展。美国决策者将民主援助视为冲突后重建的重要组成部分。通过探索难民援助的作用，本研究增强了我们对植根于难民生活经历的民主化计划的理解。

DOCTORAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH: DEMOCRACY IN DISPLACEMENT: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LIBERIAN REFUGEES IN GHANAMyra Marx Ferree (PI) and Elizabeth Holzer (co-PI)AbstractThis is a study of democracy in bleak circumstances. It asks: How is democracy fostered or made elusive in refugee camps? Refugee camps exist in the shadow of weak international law. Despite its early promise, refugee aid policy had become leached of its initial rights-based mandate by the end of the 20th century. The refugee camps, an amalgam of charity and disciplinary social control, emerged as emblematic of the new order. But political practices persist even in the midst of political exclusion democracy persists in complex ways. Funding is requested for twelve months of fieldwork to compare the experiences of two groups of Liberian refugees in Ghana: camp refugees living in the Buduburam Refugee Settlement and town refugees trying to assimilate in the capital city of Accra.Intellectual MeritThis dissertation unites two research traditions often treated as unrelated, democracy studies and refugee studies, to contribute to three research concerns: (1) Democracy in the midst of political exclusion: How does being excluded from political participation shape democratic practices? (2) Civic engagement in post-conflict settings: How do survivors of violent conflicts re-engage (or not) with government and non-governmental institutions? (3) Implementing international human rights law: What are the consequences for democratic sensibilities when human rights are proclaimed, while political autonomy is curtailed?Broader ImpactsIn 1999, the United States and others sponsored post-conflict elections in Liberia. The elections failed, and war reignited. Evaluating the failed elections, Kamara (1999) cited a general absence of practical knowledge about democracy. Testifying to the wide relevance of these challenges, when USAID launched its first major evaluation of post-conflict elections, it analyzed the merits of different "voter education" programs. In Liberia like elsewhere returning refugees will shape the emerging political landscape. People undergo vast shifts in patterns of social life in refugee camps, learning customs that will serve them well or poorly in other settings. It can be a time of growth or corruption. What refugees learn of civic engagement matters for democratic transitions because democracy needs civic habits to flourish. U.S. policymakers treat democracy aid as a crucial part of post-conflict reconstruction. By exploring the role of refugee aid, this research enhances our understanding of democratization programs rooted in refugee life experiences.