Identifying the factors affecting social integration in local societies: A literature review

Abstract

The paper focuses on factors affecting social integration of refugees staying in European countries. It consists of an extensive literature review in terms of the definition and the origins of the term “social integration” as well as various aspects affecting the degree to which newcomers can be incorporated to local communities. Results prove that social integration is a complex procedure lying not only to housing policy but also to a series of issues that may be part of an integration policy. This review is the first part of a wider research on exploring the degree to which refugees living in Greece have been integrated to local society as well as the degree to which they feel incorporated to it.