Between Uncertainty and Integration: Exploring the Influence of Legal Precarity on Refugee Socio-Economic Integration in Sweden

Résumé 0

The importance of legal status for the integration of refugees and other migrants has long been recognised by researchers. Previous literature generally indicates that an unfavourable legal status often has adverse consequences on socio-economic integration outcomes. The aim of this article is to compare the socio-economic outcomes of two refugee groups from Bosnia-Herzegovina who came to Sweden during the 1990s. The two groups are arguably similar, with the principal difference being their legal status upon arrival. To elucidate, one group was able to regulate its legal status after an average of eight months after arrival in Sweden, while the other group waited for longer than four years. We analyse the short- and long-term outcomes of both adult and child refugees. Our results differ from those obtained in most previous studies conducted in other social contexts. We find that the difference in the length of the waiting period and the level of exposure to a precarious legal status did not result in a substantial difference in the degree of long-term socio-economic integration among refugees from these two groups. For most indicators, the differences are marginal and not significant, especially when looking at the outcomes of child refugees. Moreover, when differences in outcomes are observed, they tend to favour the precarious status group (except for the earnings in the year 2000).