Understanding the Research-Policy Nexus in Denmark and Sweden: The Field of Migration and Integration

This article investigates the role of expert knowledge in integration policy-making in the case of Sweden and Denmark. The two countries have developed very different integration policies and therefore provide an interesting comparison of the research-policy nexus. It is argued that social scientists play a role in the construction of policy narratives, but that their role can be very different. In Sweden, social scientists have been influential in agenda-setting and conceptual rethinking of immigrant integration policies. In Denmark social science research has been utilised in a more selective 'pick-and-choose' manner to legitimate government policies.