Heidi Vad Jønsson

Immigration policy and the Scandinavian welfare state, 1945-2010

List of figures Preface List of Abbreviations Notes on the Contributors Welfare State, Nation and Immigration G.Brochmann & A.Hagelund Sweden: The Flagship of Multiculturalism K.Borevi Denmark a National Welfare State Meets the World H.Vad Jonsson & K.Petersen Norway: The Land of the Golden G.Brochmann & A.Hagelund Comparison: A Model with Three Exceptions? G.Brochmann & A.Hagelund Bibliography Index

Denmark: A National Welfare State meets the World

Over the past 5–10 years, Denmark has increasingly become the focus of world attention when it comes to such topics as refugees, immigrants, the meeting of cultures, integration, and so on. International criticism of Danish legislation for aliens has been voiced. The role of the Danish People’s Party as the government’s supporting party 2001–11 has placed Denmark in the category of countries with strong right-wing populist parties such as Austria and France. Recently, two so-called ‘Muhammad crises’ in the wake of the publication by Jyllands-Posten of a number of cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in 2005 unleashed a heated discussion in Denmark and Europe, as well as extremely strong reactions in other parts of the world, where Danish embassies were besieged and burnt down (Damascus), and Danish companies boycotted. 2 Without entering into a discussion of causes, effects or the justifiability of these international reactions, it is obvious that this critical (and in part self-critical) image of Danish society contrasts starkly with the positive image of Denmark as one of the world’s most advanced welfare states.

Immigrant Policy Developing in Copenhagen and Ishøj in the 1970s

This article analyses the development of municipal immigrant policies in Denmark in the 1970s through a case study of two municipalities, Copenhagen and Ishøj. The two municipalities encountered immigration in the earliest phase of Danish integration policy. In this period, national policies were limited and immigrants’ integration was primarily a municipal responsibility. As a result, the two municipalities had the opportunity and obligation to develop their own local solutions to the problems caused by migration during this period. The cases illustrate two trajectories in municipal policy-making. Copenhagen followed the national tendency to include guest workers and immigrants in the existing administrative body of the municipality and the welfare system, whereas Ishøj chose a different path with a coherent municipal immigrant policy. Through this case study of city-level policy-making in Denmark, this article contributes to research on municipal policy-making as well as research on the development of immigrant and integration policy.