Un-welcome to Denmark: The paradigm shift and refugee integration

Monograph Fellowship: DKK 913,482
Historically, Denmark was the first signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention. Yet, in recent years, Denmark has become a hardliner on immigration policies. This is evident in the prevailing political discourse and restrictive immigration policies embodied not least in the number of times Denmark has altered - and tightened - immigration regulations. In February 2019, the Danish Parliament passed a 'paradigm shift' asylum bill: The emphasis now moved from refugees' integration to the proposition that they should only be in Denmark temporarily and return as soon as possible. This book will address the consequences of these policy changes on refugees and welfare professionals who support them.

My book builds on the concept of differential inclusion to depict the manner in which refugees are required to navigate the Danish legal, policy and economic elements of the immigration maze, and which, in turn, increases their discrimination. Additionally, it also nuances how this shifting policy landscape influences the work of social workers in local government and civil society organizations. Thus, bringing critical migration studies in dialogue with social and economic policy studies, the book provides new basic scientific knowledge by theoretically nuancing the impacts of Denmark's changing immigration policies.

The book builds on my six years' engagement in two projects: the first was focused on integration of young Syrian refugees in Denmark and Lebanon, the second on legal, social, economic and political barriers and enabling factors associated with integration of refugees in the Danish labour market. My book develops this previous work by placing the impacts of Denmark's shifting immigration policies within a broader economic and social policy framework.