How Neighborhood Context Determines Inequality Later in Life: Quasi-Experimental Evidence for the Children of Iranian Refugees in Sweden

Elena Pupaza , Stockholm University
Lisa Harber-Aschan, Stockholm University
Ben Wilson, Stockholm University

The past decade has seen more than 2.5 million refugees granted residence in Europe. Their long-term adaptation poses a fundamental societal challenge. A key indicator of this adaptation is whether the children of refugees face inequalities and social disadvantages. However, limited data and methodological constraints have hindered comprehensive research in this area. In response to this research gap, we conduct a case study of Swedish-born children of Iranians, whose parents arrived as refugees in Sweden from 1987-1993. Using whole-population data and a quasi-experimental research design—based on the "Sweden-wide" refugee dispersal policy, the study investigates socioeconomic inequality in adulthood among these individuals and how this is impacted by childhood neighbourhood context. We show that co-ethnic networks only have a significant impact on socio-economic outcomes—education, unemployment, and income—for female children of Iranian refugees living in Sweden, indicating a different socialization process for male and female children of refugees. This research underscores the importance of neighbourhood context in understanding the adaptation outcomes of refugee descendants. It challenges existing literature by revealing that co-ethnic networks do not uniformly affect their socio-economic outcomes, highlighting the unique context of Iranian refugees in Sweden.

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 Presented in Session 116. Refugee Realities and Resettlement Reflections