The social mobility of refugee children
In a large international collaboration, we study the social mobility of children of migrants in 15 countries. The analyses highlight differences between boys and girls and compare them with income mobility among peers with native-born parents.
The conflicts in the former Yugoslavia during the 1990s led to a significant influx of refugees to Sweden. We follow refugee children and children of refugees through the education system and into the labor market and social insurance systems. We also study family formation, residential segregation, and return migration among these individuals. Furthermore, we relate the results to outcomes for, for example, adult refugees, and also examine social mobility across generations.
Published research results
- Liljeberg, Linus, Sara Roman, and Olof Åslund. "The long-term integration of refugee children." IFAU working paper 2023:17.
- Liljeberg, Linus, Sara Roman, and Olof Åslund. "Långsiktig integration bland flyktingbarn." IFAU rapport 2023:12.
- Boustan, Leah, Mathias Fjællegaard Jensen, Ran Abramitzky, m.fl. 2025. ”Intergenerational Mobility of Immigrants in 15 Destination Countries”. Working Paper 33558. Working Paper Series. National Bureau of Economic Research.
Infographics
Click on the image to read more about the infographic
Researchers
Olof Åslund
Sara Roman
Linus Liljeberg
Adrian Adermon