A Peak into Zimbabwe’s Refugee Regime: Dynamics of Protection in a Shrinking Economy.

Zimbabwe has consistently experienced an influx of refugees despite its shrinking economy. This places a heavy burden on the state to provide social protection to refugees. We use data from twelve in-depth interviews with key informants to explore how the prolonged socioeconomic crisis has impacted the state’s ability to provide social protection to refugees in Zimbabwe. The relationship between the state and other stakeholders in hosting refugees in Zimbabwe is also explored. The findings suggest that socioeconomic challenges in a shrinking economy affect the protection outcomes of refugees regardless of the presence of a robust refugee regime in the country.