Socioeconomic Challenges Facing Migrant and Refugee Populations in Costa Rica
About the Report
In 2021, graduate student researchers from Georgetown University’s Center for Latin American Studies were consulted by the Pan American Development Foundation (PADF) to conduct a research project to identify the socioeconomic challenges facing migrant and refugee populations in Costa Rica. Their study sought to understand the current socioeconomic integration programs and policies adopted in Costa Rica, how these meet the needs of vulnerable migrants and asylum seekers, and what gaps in support exist. Based on interviews with current migration experts, PADF beneficiary data, field visits, and migrant surveys conducted by migrants themselves, the researchers were able to identify areas of improvement in the implementation of current integration law, international non-governmental organization (INGO) programming, and local NGO activities, particularly in the areas of education, employment, health, and security. From these findings, they issued recommendations for non-governmental and governmental entities to adopt more holistic socioeconomic integration programs and policies for migrant populations.
For more information, or access to the complete report “Navigating Vulnerability: A Study of Socioeconomic Integration of Migrant Populations,” please contact Amelia Espinosa ae638@georgetown.edu and Jordan Lloyd jtl66@georgetown.edu.
About the Authors
Amelia Espinosa is a 2022 M.A. graduate of the Latin American Studies program at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Amelia currently works as a program analyst for the International Committee of the Red Cross in Washington, D.C.
Jordan Lloyd is a 2022 M.A. graduate of the Latin American Studies program at Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Jordan currently works as a risk management analyst for American International Group, Inc in Manhattan, New York and will pursue a Juris Doctorate in the Fall of 2024.
Retos socioeconómicos de la población migrante y refugiada en Costa Rica
En el 2021, la Fundación Panamericana para el Desarrollo (PADF) solicitó a dos investigadoras, estudiantes de postgrado del Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos de la Universidad Georgetown, que realizaran un proyecto de investigación que identificase los retos socioeconómicos que enfrentan las poblaciones migrantes y refugiadas en Costa Rica. Con este estudio se procura: comprender los programas actuales de integración socioeconómica y las políticas adoptadas en Costa Rica; cómo estos programas satisfacen las necesidades de los migrantes vulnerables y solicitantes de asilo; y los vacíos de atención existentes. Basándose en entrevistas a expertos en migración, datos de beneficiarios de PADF, visitas de campo, y encuestas realizadas por migrantes y refugiados, las investigadoras pudieron identificar áreas de mejora en la implementación de la actual ley de integración, la programación de las organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONGs) internacionales y las actividades de ONGs locales, particularmente en las áreas de educación, empleo, salud y seguridad. A partir de estos hallazgos, las investigadoras propusieron recomendaciones dirigidas a entes tanto gubernamentales como no gubernamentales, para que implementasen programas y políticas de integración socioeconómica más holísticas para las poblaciones migrantes.