Accounting for Interdependent Risks in Vulnerability Assessment of Refugees

Abstract

The United Nations’ Vulnerability Assessment Framework (VAF) of refugees encompasses a set of indicators of the living conditions in refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan; it assumes the independence among its components. In this paper we maintain the importance to account for existing interdependencies, and provide a definition of vulnerability for high income countries. The proposed “vulnerability scale”, based on the estimated joint risk of social isolation, economic deprivation and bad health, is a useful tool to address interventions toward selected groups of more vulnerable refugees. Analyses are based upon the survey of refugees carried on in Germany in 2016. Germany is the first country in Europe for the number of hosted refugees.