68. Refugee economic integration

Refugee economic integration has become a pressing issue due to large-scale forced displacement. This entry explores how innovation management drives this process. Beyond traditional humanitarian aid, businesses are emerging as key actors interacting with refugees as employers, employees, and consumers. Businesses that actively integrate refugees through innovation benefit from their skills and perspectives, while fostering societal goals. Innovation takes different forms, such as partnerships focused on technology for refugee camps or financial services offering secure access to funds. It can also be embedded in core activities by ensuring fair recruitment practices and addressing supply chain risks. However, legal frameworks often restrict refugee opportunities, creating vulnerabilities. Overcoming these barriers requires ethical processes and responsible business conduct as well as innovative approaches in human resources and multicultural management. Some companies engage in strategic activism, lobbying for policy changes to allow refugees to work legally and transforming refugee economic integration.