Abstract
This thesis studies the process of refugee integration into Scandinavian welfare states, which are overwhelmed by the recent refugee crisis. Scandinavian countries are known as humanitarian superpowers because they have assisted a large number of refugees in the past, and their generous welfare system has attracted more refugees to resettle there. After gathering and evaluating both quantitative and qualitative data of the chosen cases—Sweden and Denmark—it can be concluded that the in these two welfare states, refugees and also other types of immigrants have not been culturally, socially, and economically integrated well. It also contrasts Sweden with Denmark, indicating that the Danish laws passed to dissuade asylum seekers have blocked the number of asylum seekers since 2015. After examining theories on assimilation, integration, welfare state and citizenship, this thesis concludes that instead of being beneficial for refugees, the welfare system in these two countries is actually one of the biggest obstacles that prevents refugees from being well integrated into the Swedish and Danish society. Other obstacles, such as anti-immigrant policies and xenophobic public attitudes, also slow down the process of refugee integration in Swedish and Danish welfare states.