Local Immigration and Integration Policy

Sweden has long since been internationally known as a destination country sought by immigrants, and the crisis has been given increasing international attention due to the substantial admission of people on the run. However, if the reception of immigrants has been disproportionate among European countries, it has been every bit as unequal among Swedish municipalities. Drawing from several years of previous research, the project aims to examine governance structures of local immigration and integration policies among Swedish municipalities, and to describe and explain the differences in the output of such policies. Comparisons are made spatially between municipalities and temporally before and after the crisis and its associated policy changes. This publication will have the methodological advantages of examining and explaining local policy in a great number of cases, specifically the 290 local Swedish governments, and will do so over time. It will include both statistical analyses to provide general illustrations and explanatory models, and qualitative analyses on selected case studies. The examination of a unique event can provide a broader theoretical contribution and knowledge to assist further study within this area and in policy and public administration.