Prioritising Integration of Refugees in Municipal Planning at a Local Political Level

Authors

  • Elisabeth Busengdal Faculty of Social Science and History, Volda University College

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v26i4.10576

Keywords:

municipal planning, refugee integration, policy implementation, collaborative planning

Abstract

The recent increase in refugees in Europe highlights the need to advance ways to implement integration policies, develop practice, and improve integration services and programmes.The primary concern of this article is to examine municipalities that have used municipal planning as a strategic tool to improve integration practices. The article is grounded in qualitative research findings from a case study of two Norwegian municipalities.

The key findings indicate that strengthening the administrative and political foundations for integration and involving more partners in the field of integration, appear to be the most evident motives. Using municipal planning as a strategic tool can be beneficial for municipalities with a lack of intersectoral collaboration, difficulties providing and coordinating services, and problems sustaining the engagement of municipal employees in the work of integration. In the two studied municipalities, planning processes was seen as a way of addressing these issues.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biography

Elisabeth Busengdal, Faculty of Social Science and History, Volda University College

Elisabeth Busengdal is a Ph.D. fellow in public planning and administration with a master’s degree in community planning and has a former background as a public planner. She works as a lecturer in the department of planning and public administration at Volda University College.

Downloads

Published

2022-12-15

How to Cite

Busengdal, E. (2022). Prioritising Integration of Refugees in Municipal Planning at a Local Political Level. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 26(4), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v26i4.10576

Issue

Section

Original Articles