The Influences on Intention : Albany, NY as a Case Study of Refugee Agencies in Relation to the State and Neoliberalism

Abstract

This research project investigates the motivations and priorities of local refugee agencies in Albany, NY, as compared to the U.S. federal resettlement system and its corresponding neoliberal objectives. The focus is on one local resettlement agency in particular, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI Albany), and how that organization intentionally or unintentionally adopts state objectives through its contractual relationship to the government. In order to understand the creation of state objectives, this project first outlines the historical marketization of the nonprofit sector and the rise of neoliberalism, and their influences on resettlement policy and rhetoric. Alongside USCRI, this research project examines multiple refugee assistance agencies in Albany, as a way to better understand refugee services as a whole, as well as the larger conversations occurring between agencies and community members in Albany. This examination also helps demonstrate the ways that state objectives can influence all agencies, even those who are not contractually linked to the government. Lastly, this project examines how state objectives can even influence conversations, partnerships, and reactions within the local community.