Policies implication or personal experience? Integration of refugees in France and Sweden

Elena Ambrosetti, Sapienza Università di Roma
Eleonora Mussino, Stockholm University
Andrea Monti, Stockholm University

This paper assesses the integration trajectories of refugees in Sweden and France using two national-level sources of data. The “Trajectoire et Origines” survey of 2008-2009 collects information on immigrants and their descendants in France. The 2010 “Level of Living Survey for Foreign Born Persons and their Children” includes information on resident immigrants in Sweden. Through quantitative analysis based on these two datasets, we will investigate which are the factors that most influence the different spheres of integration of refugees in both countries. We look at economic, social, cultural and demographic indicators of the first generation of refugees. Finally we look at the impact of different national integration policies on the integration of refugees in Sweden and France. Thus, with this contribution we aim to answer to the following research question: Could the observed differences in the integration paths be attributable to national policies or to personal characteristics of the refugees?