Title: Local variations in integration policies: experiences from the perspectives of immigrants in Sweden

Authors: Gustav Lidén; Jon Nyhlén

Addresses: Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Holmgatan 10, 851 70 Sundsvall, Sweden ' Department of Political Science, Stockholm University, 106 910 Stockholm, Sweden

Abstract: This study examines variations in the perception of local integration policy among Swedish immigrants by focusing on community size as an influential determinant for how such policies are experienced. The experiences concern immigrants' relations to two core actors of Swedish integration policy: the public employment service (PES) and the municipalities. The empirical material consists of 28 narrative interviews, and a comparative strategy is applied to categorise participants based on whether they reside in a large or small municipality. While immigrants residing in small municipalities have more of a positive experience of the municipality and a negative view of the PES, interviewed immigrants residing in large municipalities have positive views of the PES and more ambiguous experiences with the municipality.

Keywords: local integration policy; immigrants; Sweden; municipality; public employment service; PES; population size; migration; immigrant perception; local government; immigrant experiences.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMBS.2023.130750

International Journal of Migration and Border Studies, 2023 Vol.7 No.3, pp.254 - 271

Received: 21 Dec 2021
Accepted: 11 Oct 2022
Published online: 04 May 2023 *