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The long-term integration of refugee children:Swedish experiences after the Yugoslav Wars

Author

Listed:
  • Åslund, Olof

    (Uppsala University, Department of Economics)

  • Liljeberg, Linus

    (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy)

  • Roman, Sara

    (IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy)

Abstract

We study the economic and social integration of refugee children. The analysis follows war refugees arriving from former Yugoslavia to Sweden in the early 1990s for up to 25 years. We find strong educational and economic integration, although differing by age at migration and gender. By contrast, segregation is striking in family formation. Those under 7 at migration had grades and high school completion on par with natives. Poor initial school performance among teenage refugees was partly compensated by education at higher ages. By 2019 there was on average full labor market assimilation among women while a small gap remained among men. However, refugees arriving before school start outperformed their native peers. Endogamy was common; even among preschoolers, 60–70 percent had their first child with a partner of Yugoslavian descent. Many of the partners migrated after the refugee had turned 20. Intermarriage is gendered and related to socioeconomic status. Residential and workplace segregation decreased over time but remained pronounced among people without tertiary education.

Suggested Citation

  • Åslund, Olof & Liljeberg, Linus & Roman, Sara, 2023. "The long-term integration of refugee children:Swedish experiences after the Yugoslav Wars," Working Paper Series 2023:17, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
  • Handle: RePEc:hhs:ifauwp:2023_017
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Refugee children; migrants; economic and social integration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J18 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Public Policy

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