BOSÄTTNINGSLAGEN -Mottagande och bosättning av nyanlända

Sammanfattning: In the autumn of 2015, Sweden received a record number of refugees from war-torn countries, mainly Syria and Iraq. In an attempt to gain control of the high refugee inflow, a new controversial law called the "Settlement Act" was implemented. This effort was not the first time Sweden tried to reform the settlement agenda but the legislation this time was more ambitious then before and the government and parliament intended to create evident and lasting change. This thesis examines this legislative implementation of the Settlement Act and tries to explain how external shocks affect policy change in socially responsible actors and their development. By tracking the implications of the actors, the study has been able to follow the process from the beginning of the implementation to the present. The results and integrated analysis conclude that the process of external shocks makes the actors adapt and change in relation to the new legislation. Another finding shows that there are three key ways, which an actor choose between in order to achieve change: 1) A window of opportunity opens up for the actor to act, 2) the actor has the opportunity to distance themselves from previous attitudes and change his perception and 3) that the actor does not want to change his attitude but the crisis forces the actor to change. Overall is not possible to draw any exact conclusion that actors have chosen a specific course of action, but rather that there are intermediate routes for the actors to take. Even though, this thesis and its findings strengthens the scientific research on the Settlement act implementation and its policy effects. Hence, it contributes to the understanding of one of the most debated and influential episodes of contemporary Swedish politics.