Can work contact improve social cohesion between refugees and locals? Evidence from an experiment in Uganda

Social cohesion is key for growth and development, especially in places with many nationalities and ethnicities. Countries with high influxes of refugees might encounter more issues in maintaining this cohesion, as displacement disrupts and changes social relations. Governments and organizations in host countries are interested in understanding what real-world activities could enhance social cohesion between host communities and displaced populations. We exploit a program that will target 800 refugee job seekers and 800 firms. We use the contact theory to explore the effect of two policies. First, the effect of direct contact in a real-world activity. Second, the effect of direct contact combined with vicarious contact through entertainment. Our main outcome of interest is a compound definition of social cohesion, that combines attitudes, implicit and explicit biases and behaviours in real and hypothetical activities.