The security implications of transnational population movements: A meta-analysis

Are migrants and refugees systematically linked to insecurity? This article, for the first time, takes stock of the interdisciplinary quantitative research on this question using meta-analysis. We compiled a unique dataset comprising more than 70 published studies across a variety of spatial and temporal scales covering 1951–2016. We show that an overall effect linking foreign-born populations to insecurity may exist, but there is little evidence for refugees or migrants consistently leading to more insecurity when assuming a disaggregated perspective. Specifically, foreign-born populations are unlikely to be systematically related to terrorism and hate crimes, while they can be associated with a higher risk of state-based disputes, inter-group conflict, and one-sided violence. This study adds to our understanding of the security implications of refugees and migrants as it sheds more light on the actual effect transnational population movements have on insecurity, thereby informing the research agenda in the years to come.