Stockholm university

Research project Consequences of educational reforms on school segregation and educational equity in Sweden, Norway a

A comparative perspective on school segregation and its consequences, investigated over time in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Three countries that have had very similar education systems but have reformed their respective education systems in different ways in recent decades.

Corridor in a Swedish school
Photo: Mickes fotosida

School segregation in the Nordic countries is a topic high on the political agenda. However, to design effective policy interventions targeting school segregation and its consequences, we need to know more about the mechanisms that generates and maintains segregation and educational inequalities. A fruitful approach to address this is applying a comparative perspective where school segregation is examined over time in three countries that have had very similar educational systems but have reformed their respective educational systems in different ways during the last decades. These reforms have to different degrees altered opportunities for school choice and the organizational forms of schools. In theory are such changes closely tied to school segregation and equity in education. However, the consequences of these reforms have not been assessed in a comparative perspective using register data. The project utilizes register data spanning over at least two decades from Sweden, Norway and Denmark covering all students graduating from their primary education.

Project members

Project managers

Erik Rosenqvist

Researcher

The Institute for Analytical Sociology (IAS), Linköping University

Members

Maria Brandén

Researcher

The Institute for Analytical Sociology (IAS), Linköping University

Are Skeie Hermansen

Researcher

Swedish Institute for Social Research
Are S H

Anders Hjorth-Trolle

Researcher

Rockwoolfonden