Information and Repatriation: The Case of Mozambican Refugees in Malawi

Koser (1993) proposed a research model for examining the interaction between information and repatriation, which focused upon the receipt and evaluation of information about their homes by refugees in exile. That model is presented and tested using interview responses from Mozambican refugees in Malawi sampled in 1992. The goal was to disaggregate refugees' decision-making process in an attempt to understand the repatriation process. Findings are based upon the interview responses of 125 randomly selected refugee household heads, all members of 50 of the households, and local leaders. The study found that such a narrow focus will fail to yield any comprehensive explanation. However, the specific focus upon information was determined to have certain empirical, conceptual, and policy-oriented advantages.