Water Insecurity in the Middle East and its Impacts on Refugee Households

Fri, January 31, 2020 12:00 PM at Room 302, International Center

Dr. Stephen Gasteyer, Sociology Associate Professor, presents a Brown Bag lecture for the MSU Center for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, and the Muslim Studies Program.

Water security is an increasing concern throughout the Middle East. While much has been written about water insecurity and the role of refugee flows in exacerbating conditions of scarcity, less has been written taking into account the household and community impacts of scarcity on refugee populations. This paper summarizes the literature on water scarcity and refugees and uses empirical analysis of Palestinian refugee households to highlight the effects on communities, household gender dynamics, and health and wellbeing.