Ethnic Diversity and Spatial Segregation in the Stockholm Region

Abstract

This paper describes the development of ethnic segregation and ethnic diversity in the Stockholm region from 1991 to 2001, a period characterised by a rapid increase in the population share with foreign background and in ethnic variety. The population is cross-classified into 13 ethnic groups, 16 age and income groups and 240 planning districts and various entropy measures are used to quantify the ethnic diversity and residential segregation by ethnicity. Light is also shed upon the ethnic segregation process by means of the 'shift-and-share' technique. In the discussion, the quantitative results are related to important policy changes that have taken place since the 1970s. The cementation of ethnic diversity in some planning districts and the increasing overall segregation in the region contrast sharply with the longstanding political rhetoric concerning the importance of fighting segregation and fostering spatial diversity. It is perhaps even more worrying that some of the policy measures imbedded in the Swedish model of social welfare might have contributed to this development.