Do active labour market policies lead to social exclusion of non-western immigrants? A case study of Denmark

Sammanfattning: This study analyzes how Danish policies aiming at active labour market participation aggravate the social exclusion of non-western immigrants. The study points out the necessity of investigating the success of active labour market policies not only through focusing on reduction in the number of unemployed immigrants, but also whether they alleviate social exclusion as claimed by Danish authorities. While the study takes account of active labour market policies’ positive impact on reducing unemployment, it also claims that they compound social exclusion by imposing strict obligations on immigrants and deteriorating their citizenship rights. The study concludes that although Danish universal welfare state was established to provide all citizens with high access to public services, it has been gradually turning into a workfare regime. It is suggested that Danish governments should adopt labour market policies with less demanding obligations on and develop strategies for improving higher education attainments of immigrants.