Immigration and Integration in Sweden and Denmark: Neighbouring Countries, Worlds Apart

By Per Mouritsen

Sweden and Denmark have become symbols of opposing ways of 'doing integration' one soft, liberal and multicultural, the other hard, nationalist and assimilationist. Given the countries' otherwise striking similarities as small egalitarian societies with closely intertwined histories and cultures, their distinct divergence in matters of integration is perplexing. This book explains this divergence and establishes its consequences for immigrant integration. It offers close comparison of immigration history, integration models and public opinions in the two countries, and how these play out in four policy areas: citizenship, education, the labour market and housing. It provides a genuinely systematic compararison of the two countries, offering new insights and answers to some of the most disputed questions in migration studies: Why do societies react so differently to immigration? Why does integration work better in some cases than others? Is there a trade-off between multicultural policies and having social cohesion in a welfare state?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1474458270
• ISBN13: 9781474458276
• Release Date: November 2025
• Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
• Length: 224 Pages