“The government is confused”: The political utility of institutional ambiguity in Jordan's humanitarian arena

Abstract

There is increasing scholarly interest in the role uncertainty and ambiguity play not only in the lived experiences of refugees, but also in their governance. In Jordan, where an international humanitarian regime aims to integrate Syrian refugees into the formal labour market, institutional ambiguity is a key factor influencing the outcome of aid interventions. Based on fieldwork among humanitarian, development and government actors between September 2018 and February 2019, this paper investigates how the Jordanian state created ambiguity with regards to the integration of Syrians into the labour market. Drawing on theories of institutional ambiguity as governance strategy, it shows how inconsistent policy implementation and volatile policy changes created uncertainty among international aid actors, ultimately resulting in the diversion of international aid funding for refugees towards Jordan's national development goals.