Conclusion

The book concludes with a broad overview of this history, with a focus on the continuities and changes present in refugee self-reliance assistance over time, and briefly presents the academic contributions of this project, notably its empirical and theoretical contribution to Refugee Studies and Development Studies as well as. It then reviews the main arguments highlighted in the introduction and focuses on their implications for self-reliance programming today, such as the ability to alter the current ahistorical approach of refugee self-reliance programming and the value of refugee participation in practice. It suggests that there is value in ‘self-reliance programming’ for refugees if this programming considers aspects such as refugees’ own definitions of self-reliance; preferred means of livelihoods; and background, interests, and skillsets. Critical questions for practitioners to consider is cui bono (who benefits) from this self-reliance programming. Such considerations offer a means for self-reliance programming to better respect the agency of refugees as well as better ensure that the programming put in place explicitly supports refugees rather than primarily other actors.