For many refugees, destinations in northern Europe such as Germany and Sweden were the ultimate goal. Word-of-mouth had it that in these welfare states, the stability, democracy and human rights they were looking for would bring about new beginnings and accomplished dreams.
Yet arriving in these countries often revealed a different picture. Official government responses to refugees, many of whom had escaped wars in countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq, were somewhat hostile.
In our recently published book, Refugees and the Violence of Welfare Bureaucracies in Northern Europe, we analyse how refugees are treated by welfare states and the results of that reception on their lives and experiences.
