DANIEL HIEBERTMETROPOLIS BRITISH COLUMBIA, AND
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA
Swedish immigration policy and politics: A window on
Europe
Outline
Context: the demographic challengeBasic facts about Sweden… and Swedish
politicsSwedish migration and integration policy and
administrationPossible changes to migration and integration
policyThe lessons of Sweden
Context
The demographic challenge of below-replacement fertility… general responses:
Ignore the problem (e.g., Italy)Increase net migration (e.g., Canada)Raise productivity and elongate working
careers (e.g., Japan)Restore fertility (e.g., Sweden)
Sweden: some basic facts
Population > 9 millionSize roughly equivalent to QuébecGovernment elected by modified proportional
representation Complex and flexible system with several quirks
Current government: right-centre coalition led by the Moderate Party (conservative) Next election: September 2010
Immigrants in Sweden
Total population > 1 million (~12.5%)Recent flows: 100,000 per yearTop source countries (1990-2007):
Finland Former Yugoslavia Iraq Iran Poland Norway Denmark Germany Turkey Chile
Swedish politics
Popular opinion evenly divided Right-centre group (49% in latest poll) Pink-red-green group (44%) Wild card: Sweden Democrats (populist party)
4% rule (currently 4.5% in polls) Anti-immigration policy; intention to dismantle
multiculturalism and offer incentives to either assimilate or leave Sweden; recently expelled vocal racists from party; irony… surprisingly strong immigrant presence in party
Popular opinion on migration
Not as ‘troubled’ as other European countriesCritical dividing point is on the asylum
system Negative side: concern over ‘bogus’ refugees and
enclaves, parallel lives Positive side: support for humanitarian policies
including asylum
Complex relationship to party politics (e.g., Social Democrats)
Swedish immigration policy
EU migration: open borders, unplanned, unregulated, invisible immigrants Open Labour Market but not social support Mentality of Sweden as part of Europe
Non-EU migration: permanent immigration is dominated by family reunification and asylum (mostly from Islamic countries) (nearly 90% of total) Mentality of immigration as a gift to outsiders who are
victims (public debate is about asylum and ethical issues) Very different from Canada
Admission systems
Humanitarian Resettlement program (~2000 annually)
NO TRANSPORTATION LOANS As in Canada, resettlement location is assigned
Asylum system Similar institution to IRB
Family Sponsorship requirement … similar to Canada
Economic Stepwise, employment driven
Integration in Sweden
Swedish society defined by: Affluence Welfare state with an ethic of redistribution Goal of gender equality Transparency of the state and the private sphere Widely shared cultural norms
Asylum migration (especially from Islamic countries) is popularly interpreted as a potential challenge to these core values
Frequent statements by Sweden Democrats reinforce these views
Managing Swedish migration and integration
National government Ministry of Justice includes Minister for Migration and Asylum
policy (Tobias Billström) Ministry of Integration and Gender Equity (Nyamko Sabuni)
Establishes integration policy, standards and provides funding Ministry of Employment (LM issues and employment
assistance) (T. Billström, as of 7 July!)Regional government: Negligible roleMunicipal government: Key role
Develops and administers most programs Adult education Social work and counselling Social housing
Some examples of inter-government cooperationNegligible role for NGOs and other partners
Newcomer perspective on services
All employment related services: Ministry of Employment Labour offices distributed throughout Sweden
All other services: Municipal government Fairly coherent and consistent package across
jurisdictions But, inevitable scale differences
Connection (through municipality) to education, housing, social welfare
Special case of asylum
Similar to Canada, but some key differencesWith temporary humanitarian visa, there is an
offer of housing (ABO vs. EBO) Context of social housing Self-housed asylum seekers live in large cities State-housed live in periphery Municipalities have a choice to participate Interesting connection between asylum and funding for
municipalities Economic outcomes…
Recently, asylum seekers entitled to work permits But exceptionally low employment rates
Changing migration policy
As in Canada, parties are not very far apart but there are some significant differences Left alliance: SDs determined to disperse immigrants
and refugees (“we will not let refugees live where they choose”)
Right alliance: determined to raise economic immigration Not through open-ended system like Canada By opening existing employer-driven system of stepwise
immigration … actively planning and building pathways Cautious approach with input from org. labour
Changing integration policy
Sweeping change planned for December, 2010, if Moderate party is still in power Sense of failed outcomes in refugee and family integration
Process of ’recentralization’ Areas of municipal responsibility will be shifted to the
national Ministry of Employment Focus will be on preparation for employment, with stronger
incentives to work (e.g., bonuses) Core indicator of success will be acquisition of a job
Aside: EU defined integration measures for all states to use in 2009 (Sweden led this initiative) Dominated by employment, income, education
New European integration indicators
Employment (standard measures)Education
Average educational attainment % low-achieving 15-year olds Drop-out rates
Social inclusion Median income; % low income % property ownership % perceiving health status as poor
Active citizenship % citizenship acquisition % immigrants among elected representatives
Perspective of the newcomer
‘One-stop shopping’ for servicesPlan is for ‘personal coach’ for each
newcomer
Unclear whether the left coalition would support this… but unlikely
Municipal governments will resist change
Aside: on data
How does the Swedish government monitor outcomes?
Population register data system… all records linked for individuals Widely available to researchers
(note: there is no census)Excellent ‘hard’, longitudinal data; poor ‘soft’
data
Challenges of the Swedish system
Dominance of high-need asylum newcomersRegionalization through housing policy
Unsatisfactory economic outcomesPerceived ghettoization in larger cities
E.g., riots in Malmoe in June, 2009Potential for hostile public debate
Limits policy developmentGeneral lack of policy-research interfaceSocially, immigration is eclipsed in
importance by focus on fertility and reproduction
The lessons of Sweden
Policy evolution does not necessarily only go in one direction Policy cycle: devolution and then reconcentration
Excellent data helps in evaluating program outcomes Swedish population registry is a 100% data system Widely available in government and to academic
researchers
Surprising outcomes (e.g., housing of asylum seekers)
Sweden as ‘Europe light’
Sweden has all the debates of Europe, but less of the acrimony Migration issues muted by demography; no sense of
urgency Also muted by tradition of social democracy and the
welfare state
Unfortunately, the less rancorous debates in Sweden are unlikely to influence other European countries
Strong interest in Canada on the part of SwedesPotential for new debates as employers become
more prominent in the immigration system
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