Research project What happened in Sweden over the last 40 years

What happened in Sweden over the last 40 years - This project analyzes how immigration is associated with the crime in Sweden since roughly the 1980s. The multi-method project includes quantitative analysis of publicly available Swedish data, Swedish register data, and qualitative interview data. 

Researcher Sofia Wikman, Högskolan i Gävle, is leading the project:

In Sweden and around the world, studies have consistently shown that immigrants commit more crime than nonimmigrants. Findings of immigrant overrepresentation in crime have led to beliefs that a growth in the immigrant population will beget more crime. However, research from around the world has generally indicated that immigration has little to no effect on aggregate rates of crime. In Sweden, crime rates have remained relatively stable over the past 40 years despite a rapidly growing immigrant population. It is unclear why crime rates have not concomitantly increased with growths in the immigrant population. In this study we aim to understand how immigration is associated with crime.