While migration policies are typically set by national governments, local governments play a key role in managing the settlement of migrants and their integration into society. Based on an analysis of Swedish migration policy in the aftermath of the 2015-16 migration crisis, Jon Nyhlén and Gustav Lidén shed light on the significance of the local level of government for migration policy

Lidén, Gustav

Nyhlén, Jon

English

LSE Research Online

Evidence	from	Sweden:	How	local	governmentsshape	migration	policiesWhile	migration	policies	are	typically	set	by	national	governments,	local	governments	play	a	key	role	in	managingthe	settlement	of	migrants	and	their	integration	into	society.	Based	on	an	analysis	of	Swedish	migration	policy	in	theaftermath	of	the	2015-16	migration	crisis,	Jon	Nyhlén	and	Gustav	Lidén	shed	light	on	the	significance	of	the	locallevel	of	government	for	migration	policy.Migration	policies	in	European	national	states	changed	radically	as	a	consequence	of	the	dramatic	increase	inimmigration	to	the	continent	in	2015	and	2016.	The	scale	of	this	wave	of	immigration	to	Europe	and	the	exodusfrom	affected	countries	had	not	been	witnessed	since	the	Second	World	War.Sweden,	along	with	a	few	other	member	countries	of	the	European	Union,	ended	up	in	the	global	limelight	as	one	ofthe	recognised	final	host	countries.	The	disproportionality	in	the	reception	of	immigrants	across	European	countrieswas	also	replicated	in	Sweden	with	unequal	reception	across	the	Swedish	municipalities.	While	some	municipalitiessaw	population	growth	of	more	than	4%	in	one	year,	simply	due	to	the	admission	of	immigrants,	others	more	or	lessrefrained	from	receiving	anyone	at	all.Furthermore,	the	responsibility	of	the	receiving	municipalities	does	not	end	at	this	point.	After	arrival,	thesubsequent	phase	involves	helping	individuals	through	the	process	of	becoming	integrated	and	established	in	theirnew	societies.	The	dramatic	events	of	the	migration	crisis	also	changed	countries’	migration	policies.	Swedishmigration	policy	was	no	exception.	Substantial	amendments	were	hastily	made	to	a	policy	field	in	which	alreadytense	state-local	relations	struggled	to	manage	coordination,	responsibilities,	and	funding.Against	this	backdrop,	there	is	a	clear	need	to	study	the	consequences	for	local	societies	of	the	associated	changesin	policy.	This	is	the	subject	of	a	new	book	we	have	published.	Our	interest	in	these	issues	stretches	back	at	least	adecade.	What	started	with	our	being	interested	in	the	reception	of	immigrants	in	Swedish	municipalities	in	2011	hasdeveloped	into	dealing	with	the	consequences	of	rule	changes,	with	particular	focus	on	the	local	level	ofgovernment.Over	the	years,	we	have	been	able	to	follow	the	increasing	importance	of	and	interest	in	the	Swedish	local	level,both	in	research	and	from	the	political	system.	Government	and	international	actors,	decision-makers,	andresearchers	are	now	more	aware	than	ever	of	the	importance	of	the	subnational	level.…increasing	activity	was	evident	in	municipalities	after	the	migrant	crisis.	The	way	in	which	policies	weredesigned	was	clearly	linked	to	how	immigrant	admission	was	perceived.Our	perspective	is	that	local	migration	policy	involves	two	different	but	related	types	of	policies.	We	adhere	toTomas	Hammar	and	colleagues’	classical	distinction	between	policies	that	regulate	and	distribute	the	admission	ofimmigrants	into	local	societies	and	policies	that	regulate	the	social	integration	of	immigrants	in	their	new	localcommunities.	We	refer	to	the	first	example	as	local	immigration	policy	and	the	second	as	local	integration	policy.We	employ	a	mixed-methods	approach	that	draws	from	various	data	and	that	addresses	the	studied	phenomenonfrom	different	angles	that	enable	comparisons	over	time	and	across	municipalities.	Our	examination	of	the	twopolicy	areas	builds	on	different	types	of	data,	involving	analyses	of	the	constitution	of	both	types	of	policy	inSweden’s	290	municipalities	as	well	as	three	in-depth	case	studies.	The	selected	cases	represent	two	extremecases	and	one	typical	case.	While	the	first	two	represent	how	differences	in	local	immigration	policy	weremaximised,	the	latter	appears	to	be	unaffected	by	policy	change.When	it	comes	to	local	immigration	policy,	we	find	evidence	that	policy	outputs	vary	significantly	according	todemographic,	economic,	and	political	factors.	Our	case	studies	supplement	such	a	picture	by	identifying	thatsolidarity	and	instrumental	considerations,	based	on	the	local	circumstances,	are	given	weight	in	the	design	ofpolicy.	Relating	the	scope	of	immigrant	reception	to	the	population	size	of	municipalities	consistently	shows	thatsmaller	municipalities	often	with	a	more	challenging	labour	market	situation	are	the	greatest	receivers	ofimmigrants.LSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blog: Evidence from Sweden: How local governments shape migration policies Page 1 of 2		Date originally posted: 2022-02-09Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2022/02/09/evidence-from-sweden-how-local-governments-shape-migration-policies/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/The	fact	that	a	liberal	policy	has	evolved	into	a	standard	solution	for	local	governments	with	a	diminishing	andageing	population	risks	other	important	aspects	not	being	given	enough	attention.	This	is	something	that	ledSweden	to	implement	the	Settlement	Act,	which	aimed	to	address	the	uneven	distribution	of	immigrants	in	themunicipalities	by	repealing	the	possibility	for	municipalities	to	decide	whether	to	receive	immigrants	or	not.	In	termsof	shaping	local	integration	policy,	we	find	that	variation	exists	across	municipalities.	We	observed	thatmunicipalities	invest	differently	in	their	local	integration	policies.	This	involves	variation	in	the	scope	and	direction.Furthermore,	increasing	activity	was	evident	in	municipalities	after	the	migrant	crisis.	The	way	in	which	policies	weredesigned	was	clearly	linked	to	how	immigrant	admission	was	perceived.	When	immigrants	were	welcomed	fordemographic	or	economic	purposes,	the	local	integration	policy	was	designed	based	on	perceiving	immigration	as	apermanent	phenomenon.	By	contrast,	when	local	immigration	policy	was	restrictive	and	mainly	argued	as	being	theresult	of	housing	limitations,	local	integration	policy	was	shaped	by	viewing	immigrants	as	a	temporaryphenomenon	and	there	was	a	reluctance	to	provide	specific	support.Our	study	of	the	local	level	of	government	in	Sweden	has	started	the	process	of	filling	the	void	of	previous	empiricalresearch.	This	is	enabled	by	the	joint	analysis	of	both	local	immigration	and	integration	policy,	covered	through	awide	set	of	rich	empirical	data	addressed	in	a	mixed	methods	fashion.	The	comparative	nature	of	this	study	hasenabled	us	to	reach	theoretical	conclusions	that	will	either	add	to,	modify,	or	even	break	with	prior	knowledge	withinthe	field.	We	hope	that	we	have	brought	new	insights	and	valuable	knowledge	to	the	field	of	local	migration	policy.For	more	information,	see	the	authors’	new	book,	Local	Migration	Policy:	Governance	Structures	andPolicy	Output	in	Swedish	Municipalities	(Palgrave	Macmillan,	2022)Note:	This	article	gives	the	views	of	the	authors,	not	the	position	of	EUROPP	–	European	Politics	and	Policy	or	theLondon	School	of	Economics.	Featured	image	credit:	Julius	Jansson	on	UnsplashLSE European Politics and Policy (EUROPP) Blog: Evidence from Sweden: How local governments shape migration policies Page 2 of 2		Date originally posted: 2022-02-09Permalink: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2022/02/09/evidence-from-sweden-how-local-governments-shape-migration-policies/Blog homepage: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/

Evidence from Sweden: how local governments shape migration policies

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Evidence from Sweden: how local governments shape migration policies

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