Browsing by Author "Baseler, Travis"

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    Can Aid Change Attitudes toward Refugees? Experimental Evidence from Microentrepreneurs in Urban Uganda
    (Jointdatacenter, 2021) Baseler, Travis; Ginn, Thomas; Hakiza, Robert; Ogude, Helidah; Woldemikae, Olivia
    How should aid for refugees be allocated to assist refugees and gain the support of host communities? While host populations often believe they are negatively affected by refugees, little evidence exists on the potential for aid to facilitate positive relations and mitigate tension. We conduct a randomized controlled trial to investigate two programs for Ugandan (host) microentrepreneurs: cash grants delivered with information that connects the grant with Uganda’s inclusive refugee policies and existing aid-sharing policy, and mentorship by an experienced refugee. We find that grants tagged to aid-sharing significantly increased support for inclusive policies including refugees’ right to work and hosting additional refugees. Grants and information separately, mentorship by a refugee, and mentorship by a Ugandan also increased support for inclusion but by less than the cash and information programs combined. Contact with the refugee-led organization partially drives these effects. Through the first endline, we do not find effects on business profits from any treatments but do find other positive economic effects from mentorship by a Ugandan.
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    Can Redistribution Change Policy Views? Aid and Attitudes toward Refugees in Uganda
    (Center for Global Development, 2023) Baseler, Travis; Ginn, Thomas; Hakiza, Robert; Woldemikael, Olivia
    Many public policies create (perceived) winners and losers, but there is little evidence on whether redistribution can support new political economy equilibria that raise aggregate welfare. We conduct a randomized controlled trial in Kampala, Uganda studying foreign aid programs for Ugandans which are explicitly connected to the refugee presence. Cash grants labeled as part of the refugee aid response substantially increase support for admitting more refugees and allowing them to work and integrate. Sharing information about public goods funded by the refugee response has smaller, though still significant, effects. Impacts persist for at least two years and are associated with changing beliefs about the economic effects of refugees. We find minimal impacts of intergroup contact, implemented as business mentorship by an experienced refugee. Overall, our results suggest that economic interventions can meaningfully shape policy views when the connection between the policy and the assistance is salient.