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Policy Promises and Structural Realitie: Migrant and Refugee Education Policies, School Segregation, and Student Outcomes in High-Income Countries

Schwedrsky, Emma Marie LU (2026) MIDM19 20261
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
This thesis examines how refugee and migrant education policies interact with school segregation and structural inequality to shape student outcomes across nine countries: Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the United States. Drawing on Sen’s capability approach, welfare regime theory, and education governance typologies, it asks why formally similar policy commitments produce such divergent structural outcomes. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, the study integrates critical policy analysis (CPA) of national education frameworks with quantitative segregation modeling and multilevel regression of PISA 2018 and 2022 microdata. The principal findings demonstrate that normative... (More)
This thesis examines how refugee and migrant education policies interact with school segregation and structural inequality to shape student outcomes across nine countries: Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the United States. Drawing on Sen’s capability approach, welfare regime theory, and education governance typologies, it asks why formally similar policy commitments produce such divergent structural outcomes. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, the study integrates critical policy analysis (CPA) of national education frameworks with quantitative segregation modeling and multilevel regression of PISA 2018 and 2022 microdata. The principal findings demonstrate that normative convergence around SDG 4 and the UNHCR Refugee Education Strategy masks profound structural divergence: high-equity systems achieve low segregation through distinct institutional pathways, while high-segregation systems sustain inequality despite formal rights commitments. Educational inclusion is determined not by policy rhetoric but by the institutional architecture through which commitments are delivered. These findings position migrant educational inequality in high-income countries as a core development challenge and offer transferable lessons for governance reforms and SDG implementation. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Schwedrsky, Emma Marie LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20261
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
language
English
id
9226237
date added to LUP
2026-06-30 14:07:38
date last changed
2026-06-30 14:07:38
@misc{9226237,
  abstract     = {{This thesis examines how refugee and migrant education policies interact with school segregation and structural inequality to shape student outcomes across nine countries: Canada, Chile, Finland, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Sweden, and the United States. Drawing on Sen’s capability approach, welfare regime theory, and education governance typologies, it asks why formally similar policy commitments produce such divergent structural outcomes. Using a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, the study integrates critical policy analysis (CPA) of national education frameworks with quantitative segregation modeling and multilevel regression of PISA 2018 and 2022 microdata. The principal findings demonstrate that normative convergence around SDG 4 and the UNHCR Refugee Education Strategy masks profound structural divergence: high-equity systems achieve low segregation through distinct institutional pathways, while high-segregation systems sustain inequality despite formal rights commitments. Educational inclusion is determined not by policy rhetoric but by the institutional architecture through which commitments are delivered. These findings position migrant educational inequality in high-income countries as a core development challenge and offer transferable lessons for governance reforms and SDG implementation.}},
  author       = {{Schwedrsky, Emma Marie}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Policy Promises and Structural Realitie: Migrant and Refugee Education Policies, School Segregation, and Student Outcomes in High-Income Countries}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}