Refugees, the Labour Market and the Welfare State: Employment Policy and Local Integration Programs in Swedish Refugee Reception

Abstract

This PhD-project examines the role of inter-organizational collaboration and partnership in the governance of local integration programs targeted towards refugees in Sweden. For decades these programs have been criticized for delaying entrance into the labour market and it has been a longstanding goal for the government to incorporate them in the Swedish employment strategy, ‘arbetslinjen’. Governmental agencies have applied ‘soft’ policy measures such as guidelines, comparisons, knowledge dissemination and ‘agreements’ for voluntary policy coordination to create conditions for joint efforts at the local level. Drawing on institutional theory the PhD project examines the impact of this norm building process by focusing on how local actors respond to the governing strategies and in what way collaboration contributes to the development of the programs.

Keywords

Employment/Recruitment, Governance, Partnership, Refugees, Institutional theory

Publications

Qvist, M. (2011) Utveckling genom regional samverkan?: Insatser för arbete och entreprenörskap inom introduktionen för nyanlända invandrare i Sörmland. TheMES No. 36. REMESO, Linköping University.

Qvist, M. (2008). Samordnat mottagande?: Styrnings- och samordningsprocesser inom introduktion och flyktingmottagande. TheMES No. 27. REMESO, Linköping University.

Qvist, M. (2008). Collaborative Efforts for Labour Market Integration? Implementation of Introduction Programmes in Sweden. Paper presented at XV NOPSA Conference, Tromsø 2008.

Qvist, M. (2008). Managing Immigrant Integration in the Welfare State: Post-NPM Strategies, Past Reforms and the Institutionalized Context. Paper presented at ECPR Joint Sessions, Rennes 2008.

Qvist, M. (2007). Integration och organisation: ett förvaltningspolitiskt perspektiv på mottagande och riktade åtgärder. Paper presented at SWEPSA, Norrköping 2007.

Qvist, M. (2007). Processutvärdering av arbetet under den tillfälliga lagen om ny prövning av avvisnings- och utvisningsbeslut. Swedish Integration Board dnr INT-23-06-1235, interim report.