How many refugees can the Swedish welfare state handle?

The past year the influx of refugees has been the topic of many discussions. How will these newcomers affect the people who already live in Sweden? How will they affect the economy, the labour market, the values, the welfare state?

Will Kymlicka, researcher in political philosophy, has thought a lot about thins kind of questions. In April he visited the Institute for Futures Studies in order to participate in the planning of one of the chapters of International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP). During his stay in Stockholm he participated in a seminar organized by Katalys and ABF with the title "Bortom välfärdschauvinism och nyliberalism" (in English), which was then followed by an interview by Gustaf Arrhenius.

The seminar and the interview are both handling questions such as: What is a nation? What is multiculturalism? If solidarity is a precondition for a functioning welfare state, how does immigration affect the degree of solidarity? What is the role of EU in all of this - and is a burqa ban, or the celebration of religious holidays roads to a functioning diverse society?

Listen to the interview:

See the seminar: