News

On June 17, 2021 Kristin Dalen will defend her doctoral thesis for the PhD Degree at the University of Bergen. The title of the thesis is "Chinese Views on Welfare: Social Policy and Political Support".

This article investigates perceptions of secondary migration to Europe and North America among Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, based on qualitative interviews conducted in 2019. Author Guri Tyldum describe the ambivalence many of these refugees express, when talking about moving on to Europe. The article demonstrates that secondary migration is not only associated with positive outcomes and suggests that there may be self-selection effects in what subgroups of refugees that end up seeking migration to Europe.

There is considerable knowledge about, and interventions that target, human trafficking and exploitation for prostitution. In labour trafficking, however, other actors are involved, the victims identified have more often been men, and assistance providers face other challenges than those that are known from trafficking for prostitution. Labour trafficking will also be encountered by other actors, and there is a considerable need for knowledge. This report is an updated summary of the original report Menneskehandel i arbeidslivet” [Labour trafficking”], published in 2019.

Ingunn Bjørkhaug will have her trial lecture and public defence on Thursday 10 June at 10:00 o'clock, at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). The title of the thesis is "Side by side, but far apart? Refugee–host relationships and narratives in a displacement economy". Everything will be broadcasted via Zoom, see NMBU's page for details.

The multi-year Fafo-led project "Nordic Future of Work" has examined the challenges and opportunities for the Nordic working life models. This final report first summarizes the six thematic reports, and then discusses the consequences the developments will have for the Nordic models. Fafo researchers Kristin Alsos and Jon Erik Dølvik also point to some adjustments needed to uphold the models in the future.

This TemaNord report concludes Pillar III on non-standard work under the Fafo-led research program "The Future of Work". With contributions from 18 researchers from all five Nordic countries, the report looks at both traditional forms of non-standard work, such as temporary contracts, part-time and solo self-employed, as well as emerging employment practices such as zero-hour contracts and freelancer companies – all within the context of the Nordic welfare and industrial relations models.

In a new article publicised in Ethnic and Racial Studies, Jon Horgen Friberg shows that youth of immigrant origin gradually adopt a stronger self-identity as Norwegians, regardless of geographical and religious backgrounds. However: While adolescents of European immigrant origin report being seen as more “Norwegian” than they identify themselves, children of immigrants from Africa and Asia are seen by others as far less “Norwegian” than how they perceive themselves.

On December 18, 2020 Olav Elgvin will defend his doctoral thesis for the PhD Degree at the University of Bergen – "Between a Rock and a Hard Place. The Islamic Council of Norway and the Challenge of Representing Islam in Europe".