The Refugee Revenue Gap: Decomposing Earnings Differences in Host Economies of Uganda

The Refugee Revenue Gap: Decomposing Earnings Differences in Host Economies of Uganda | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The Refugee Revenue Gap: Decomposing Earnings Differences in Host Economies of Uganda John Paul Tugume, Claire Ashaba, Ronald Ogenrwot, Felix Wamono, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8122557/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Uganda’s progressive refugee-hosting policy is predicated on the economic integration of refugees into local economies. However, the extent and drivers of economic disparity between refugee and host community households remain inadequately quantified. This study employs a novel, comprehensive 2021 household survey dataset from refugee-hosting districts in Uganda to decompose the ‘‘refugee revenue gap’’ the difference in earnings from agriculture, enterprise, and labour. Utilizing Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition techniques, we analyze data from 5,636 households (2,496 Ugandan nationals and 3,140 refugees) to isolate the portion of the gap attributable to observable endowment differences (e.g., assets, land, human capital) from the portion due to structural disadvantages or differential returns to those endowments. Findings indicate a significant revenue gap, driven predominantly by refugees' lower access to and control over arable land, smaller asset bases, and constrained access to formal credit and higher-value markets. Despite similar levels of entrepreneurial activity, refugee-owned enterprises generate significantly lower revenue. The results underscore that while Uganda's policy provides a crucial foundation, targeted interventions in land access, financial inclusion, and market linkages are essential to bridge the economic divide and realize the full potential of refugee economic inclusion. Refugees Host Communities Uganda Economic Integration Revenue Gap Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition Livelihoods Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8122557","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":612703766,"identity":"f11980e6-a19e-4a12-96c5-a91ccd89e2e5","order_by":0,"name":"John Paul Tugume","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3ElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYPACNiBmPgAkJGQIquVBaGFLAGnhIVYLmGmAJoAD2EukX5O6UcEnZ85+5vOrGzUWPAzsh49uwGuLRE6ZdM4ZNmPLntxt1jnHgA7jSUu7QUBLmnRuG1vihgO524xz2IBaJHjMiNDyD6jl/Jtnxjn/iNKSfkw6twGo5UYO8+PcNmK0nHnDDPQC0C8znpkx5/ZJ8LAR8gt7e/rD2zk1x+TM+ZMff875VifHz374GF4t0Og4xgAk2SRAfDb8ysH2PAASNSAtzB8Iqx4Fo2AUjIKRCAAhZkMTI3KUtAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"John","middleName":"Paul","lastName":"Tugume","suffix":""},{"id":612703767,"identity":"18dabffb-95f7-4ca1-b2e5-6ec23589566e","order_by":1,"name":"Claire Ashaba","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Claire","middleName":"","lastName":"Ashaba","suffix":""},{"id":612703768,"identity":"7dbf9155-75b9-49ae-b467-6ed6f6f12343","order_by":2,"name":"Ronald Ogenrwot","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ronald","middleName":"","lastName":"Ogenrwot","suffix":""},{"id":612703769,"identity":"7d9d73f7-2e47-498b-9e52-bf5f04c74afa","order_by":3,"name":"Felix Wamono","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Felix","middleName":"","lastName":"Wamono","suffix":""},{"id":612703770,"identity":"f8f0936d-bdce-4513-8649-d001a75d448b","order_by":4,"name":"Alex Tatwangire","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alex","middleName":"","lastName":"Tatwangire","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-11-15 14:08:20","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8122557/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8122557/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The Refugee Revenue Gap: Decomposing Earnings Differences in Host Economies of Uganda","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Refugees, Host Communities, Uganda, Economic Integration, Revenue Gap, Blinder-Oaxaca Decomposition, Livelihoods","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8122557/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8122557/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Uganda’s progressive refugee-hosting policy is predicated on the economic integration of refugees into local economies. 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