The Impact of Leaving Camps on Well-being of Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Uganda |
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Authors: | Fu-Min Tseng Barbara McPake Ijeoma Edoka |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Economics, National Chung Cheng University;2. Nossal Institute for Global Health, University of Melbourne;3. SAMRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science – PRICELESS SA, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand |
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Abstract: | The armed conflict in Northern Uganda led to a large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs). After the government announced the declaration of free movement on 30 October 2006, a large number of IDPs left camps. Transition from camp life to post-camp life has important implications for population well-being. This paper uses the Ugandan National Household Survey conducted in 2005-2006 and 2009-2010 and a difference-in-differences method to estimate changes in IDPs' well-being measured by self-reported heath as well as household food consumption. We do not find a significant effect of leaving camps on self-reported illness and household food consumption but we find a significant effect on the choice of healthcare providers utilised. The postcamp effect was estimated to increase the use of non-free health providers, an effect composed of more visits to informal providers and greater choice of formal private providers, when formal providers are utilised. Those findings shed light on policy-relevant issues in the areas of land rights, recovery of public health systems and gender inequalities in well-being. |
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Keywords: | IDPs Well-being Post-camp period Uganda |
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