Research project Voluntary return of refugees: Policies and financial incentives

The number of asylum applications in the EU increased drastically in 2015, as individuals escaped civil war and persecution. However, not everyone is given asylum. Although dismissed applicants are legally required to return to their home countries, not everyone returns voluntarily, and instead chose to go underground or face deportation. Programs for deportation are costly, politically sensitive, and have been criticized on humanitarian grounds. As a response, countries have introduced return programs, aiming to increase the share of voluntary returns. Yet, the efficiency of such programs have not been evaluated. Using quasi-experimental evidence, we will provide the first quantitative evaluations of return programs by studying the Swedish cash-grant program. Using individual administrative data from the Swedish Migration Agency we will examine if the share of voluntary returns, appeals, and the time from dismissal to return is affected by these programs.