Irregular Migration:Mismatch between Conceptualizations and Lived Experiences

This article focuses on researching differences in relation to irregular migration and various methodological challenges and ethical considerations that arise when working in this type of research field. Due to the precarious character of the migration and the vulnerability of the migrants, a large degree of responsibility is placed on the researcher in order to refrain from harming the researched group(s) further. Yet, the need to access information about their life situations are of great importance to shed light on matters that otherwise would remain hidden and undisclosed. How do researchers recognize the implications of the methods used in researching irregular migration and other vulnerable people and sensitive subjects? How do we carry out research in this field without causing further harm to the subjects researched? What kind of differentiating categorization of migrants do researchers construct, produce and reproduce during the research process? This article addresses the above questions by looking at the construction and categorization of irregular migrants in both the research process and as the products of research conducted, using the biographical narrative method in order to obtain a deeper and more complex understanding of the social dynamics involved in the field of irregular migration

Irregular Migration: Mismatch between Conceptualizations and Lived Experiences

This article focuses on researching differences in relation to irregular migration and various methodological challenges and ethical considerations that arise when working in this type of research field. Due to the precarious character of the migration and the vulnerability of the migrants, a large degree of responsibility is placed on the researcher in order to refrain from harming the researched group(s) further. Yet, the need to access information about their life situations are of great importance to shed light on matters that otherwise would remain hidden and undisclosed. How do researchers recognize the implications of the methods used in researching irregular migration and other vulnerable people and sensitive subjects? How do we carry out research in this field without causing further harm to the subjects researched? What kind of differentiating categorization of migrants do researchers construct, produce and reproduce during the research process? This article addresses the above questions by looking at the construction and categorization of irregular migrants in both the research process and as the products of research conducted, using the biographical narrative method in order to obtain a deeper and more complex understanding of the social dynamics involved in the field of irregular migration

Integration of Refugees on the Danish Labor Market

The unprecedented inflow of refugees in the Nordic countries since 2014 has accentuated debates about the effectiveness of the Nordic models and their labor market integration programs. The ‘refugee crisis’ opened a window of opportunity in which some Nordic countries reformed their policy framework to promote faster and more effective labor market integration of refugees. Denmark is celebrated for its well-functioning flexicurity labor market, but has not been particularly successful in integrating nonwestern migrants and refugees in the labor market. We examine barriers on the supply-side, the demand-side, and in the matching process of the labor market to better understand the labor market performance of refugees. Subsequently, we analyze the new Danish labor market integration programs and discuss preliminary implementation results. Although it is too early to make any final judgments of the outcomes, there are indications of positive changes in implementation and results, while important integration issues remain unresolved