Studies in the Dynamics of Residential Segregation

In four scientific papers, this thesis investigates the processes, in terms of movements of individuals, that have produced, reproduced and transformed patterns of residential segregation in Swedish cities between 1990 and 2000. Paper 1 examines processes of immigrant concentration, and the role of the Swedish majority population in these processes. Neighbourhood transition and mobility are described and analysed for a selection of residential areas that have experienced increased immigrant concentration. The results show that low in-migration rate among Swedes, rather than high out-migration rate, has been the main driving force behind the production and reproduction of immigrant concentration areas. Paper 2 investigates the hypothesis that distressed neighbourhoods retain their character of distress through selective migration. The socio-economic situations of in-migrants, out-migrants and stayers in the distressed neighbourhoods of Stockholm are analysed and compared, and the results show the hypothesis to be confirmed. The people who move in are more likely to be unemployed and dependent on social benefits, and have on average lower incomes than those who move out and those who remain in the neighbourhoods. Paper 3 further investigates the selective character of the out-migration from distressed neighbourhoods. One important conclusion is that the out-migration flow from the distressed residential areas is socio-economically and ethnically selective. When demographic and socio-economic differences are controlled for, the likelihood of leaving the distressed neighbourhoods is much lower for an immigrant than for a Swedish-born person. Paper 4 examines the migration flows of a whole city, Göteborg. The paper deals with some of the most common questions within segregation research; the degree of spatial concentration of different ethnic groups, processes of concentration and dispersal, the role of the minority enclaves as ports of entry to the local housing market, and how this differs between ethnic groups