In a recent article, I highlighted how perceived resource shortages can fuel support for right-wing populist parties, especially if those perceived shortages are portrayed as being as a result of migration. The issue of housing supply was further explored in a second study, from Uppsala University, which explores how the supply of housing in Sweden affects the integration of refugees.

The study focuses on the Settlement Act, which was introduced in 2016 and ensures that municipalities receive refugees according to certain quotas. The researchers analyzed data collected from a survey by the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning that was sent to all 200 of Sweden’s municipalities. The researchers propose a typology that divides municipalities according to how they report working on any housing issues produced by the Settlement Act.

Housing policy

They explain that municipalities impose a range of housing policies, which enable them to maintain, adapt, or even deny long-term settlement of refugees. There is considerable variation in such policies between municipalities, with most choosing to interpret the Act depending on their personal circumstances. For instance, variance appears depending on the rural or urban nature of the municipality, or the state of the local housing market and previous experiences with refugees. Even the political persuasion of the local council plays a part.

“A restrictive refugee policy cannot always be explained by a lack of resources locally, such as a shortage of housing. In fact, many municipalities in which there is scant available housing still offer permanent housing alternatives, while municipalities with a large proportion of vacant flats choose to interpret the law restrictively,” the researchers explain.

The paper suggests that the distribution of refugees is fairer, and indeed more even, since the Act was introduced in 2016, but this hasn’t meant that old reception patterns haven’t endured, even as long-term settlement continues to be difficult. As appears to be the case elsewhere in the world, those regions with the lowest number of refugees prior to the 2016 Act have also been those most hostile to receiving refugees, and they have introduced the most restrictive housing policies.

“There is also a problematic mismatch in the Swedish reception system, whereby permanent housing is provided more often in municipalities with weak labor markets. This creates major difficulties for newly arrived refugees, as a strong and stable position in the labor market is currently a requirement for obtaining a permanent resident permit in Sweden,” the authors conclude.