The Housing and Settlement of Refugees in Norway and Sweden: A Comparative Assessment of Policy's Impact on Integration

In 2017 there were 23 ‘problem-areas’ in Sweden – immigrant dense neighborhoods, too dangerous for even the police or ambulances to enter. Sweden has received significant attention for its ethnic enclaves, whereas its... [ view full abstract ]

In 2017 there were 23 ‘problem-areas’ in Sweden – immigrant dense neighborhoods, too dangerous for even the police or ambulances to enter. Sweden has received significant attention for its ethnic enclaves, whereas its neighbor, Norway, has seemingly avoided this. This presentation will investigate this phenomenon and compare the Norwegian and Swedish housing and settlement policies for refugees. This will be done by using interviews with policymakers and those working in the refugee settlement process, as well as a study of national and municipal legislation in the two countries. This information will be used to compare the Norwegian ‘forced settlement’ to Swedish ‘self settlement’ and assess their subsequent impact on integration levels, and what this can tell us about housing and settlement for refugees at large.