The Role of Government Legitimacy and Trust in Managing Refugee Crises: The Case of Kobani

Abstract

The civil war in Syria caused millions of people to become refugees in neighboring countries and Europe. Government capacity and the availability of resources are crucial for managing a refugee crisis effectively; however, they may not be sufficient in all circumstances. There must be a healthy relationship between the host government and refugees for government agencies to control the refugees and manage their needs. Government legitimacy and trust are crucial for refugee compliance with government policies. This article examines the case of refugees from Kobani in Turkey and provides evidence for understanding the role of government legitimacy in managing a refugee crisis. The data for this article were collected through qualitative interviews and focus groups with government officials and refugees. Two important factors shaped the refugees' perceptions of the Turkish government. First, ethnic conflict and the political circumstances in Turkey shaped some refugees' opinions of the Turkish government. Second, some refugees embraced their host community's perceptions of the Turkish government. The findings from this research have important political implications. Countries experiencing ethnic, religious, or racial conflicts are likely to face challenges regarding refugee compliance with government policies. El papel de la legitimidad y la confianza del gobierno al gestionar las crisis de refugiados: El caso de KobaneLa guerra civil en Siria ha hecho que cinco millones de personas se conviertan en refugiados dentro de países vecinos y en Europa. La capacidad del gobierno y la disponibilidad de recursos son cruciales para la gesti on efectiva de crisis de refugiados; sin embargo, es posible que no sean suficientes en todas las circunstancias. Tiene que haber una relaci on saludable entre el gobierno del país que acoge a los refugiados y estos mismos para que las agencias gubernamentales puedan controlar a los refugiados y cubrir sus necesidades. La legitimidad del gobierno y la confianza son cruciales para el cumplimiento de las políticas del gobierno por parte de los refugiados. Este artículo examina el caso de los refugiados de Kobane en Turquía y proporciona evidencia para la comprensi on del papel de la legitimidad del gobierno al gestionar una crisis de refugiados. Los datos para este artículo fueron recolectados a trav es de entrevistas cualitativas y grupos de enfoque con oficiales del gobierno y refugiados. Dos factores importantes formaron las percepciones de los refugiados acerca del gobierno turco. Primero, el conflicto etnico y las circunstancias políticas en Turquía formaron las opiniones de algunos refugiados acerca del gobierno turco. Segundo, algunos refugiados han adoptado las percepciones del gobierno turco que tienen las comunidades que los acogen. Los hallazgos de esta investigaci on tienen implicaciones políticas importantes. Los países con conflictos etnicos, religiosos o raciales son propensos a tener retos que tienen que ver con el cumplimiento de las políticas del gobierno por parte de los ...

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Public Organizations' Crisis Preparedness

“…The next two articles in this issue are about trust in government responses to crises and risks. “The Role of Government Legitimacy and Trust in Managing Refugee Crises” by Demiroz and Unlu () offers great insights from a qualitative case study on the reception of Syrian refugees by the Turkish authorities in the Turkish‐Syrian border region Kobani. It shows how ethnic (Turkish‐Kurdish) conflict and political circumstances affect refugees’ perceptions and trust of the crisis response by the Turkish government, and also affect refugee integration and compliance to official policies.…”