A Geographical Path to Integration? Using Sequence Analysis to Explore the Interplay between Regional Context and Socioeconomic Integration Among Refugees in Sweden

Hernan Mondani, Stockholm University
Louisa Vogiazides, Stockholm University

Migrant integration is at the forefront of political and academic debates in many immigrant-receiving countries. A rich neighbourhood effects literature analyses the significance of residential environment for the socioeconomic integration of international migrants. A parallel strand of research explores the associations between immigrants’ initial region of residence and their subsequent socioeconomic integration. The literature usually measures residential context at a single point in time. Less attention has been paid to individuals’ geographical trajectories in their entirety and their relationship with socioeconomic integration. Furthermore, existing research often focuses on a single dimension of geographical context, such as the labour market situation. Using Swedish longitudinal register data, we apply sequence analysis in order to identify refugees’ typical geographical trajectories across regions with different levels of population density and labour market conditions. We then estimate regression models to assess how the identified trajectories influence refugees’ subsequent employment.

Presented in Poster Session 1