Research Council of Norway
Project description
Right-wing and jihadist extremism has been a growing problem in recent decades, including in Scandinavia, and is expected to increase. Extremist activities damage the consensus- and trust-based Scandinavian society. The Scandinavian characteristic of trust in the authorities is eroded in several ways: through polarization in public debates, the creation of online echo chambers and through conspiracy theories. All of these are factors that contribute to marginalization.
Counter-radicalization programmes, if implemented incorrectly, have the potential to increase rather than reduce alienation and thus have the potential to increase extremism.
The Exit project aims to improve the exit and reintegration processes of (potential) violent extremists with the end goal of improved public security. Exit programmes in selected municipalities in Norway, Sweden and Denmark will be analyzed, developing much-needed knowledge on how welfare institutions provide effective interventions to promote the exit and reintegration of extremists.
The majority of related international studies have so far focused on contexts that are not comparable to Scandinavia, for example in Middle Eastern countries. The previous studies of exit and reintegration interventions that do cover Scandinavia have focused on national and local policies and strategies, and have not investigated the actual interventions - or the experiences of the interventions. In addition, there is no generally accepted standard for assessing the effectiveness of such programmes, neither in studies focusing within or outside of Scandinavia. That is where the Exit project comes in.
Exit aims to identify the research expertise needed by society, public institutions and the private sector to develop effective exit processes that steer people away from violent extremism and promote reintegration into society.
A common Scandinavian government strategy to counter violent extremism is to make public institutions responsible for curbing extremist activities through prevention and reintegration interventions. Several welfare actors, across different sectors and levels of government, are in the front line of countering violent extremism by offering welfare services such as social, health and economic services. We investigate the services of welfare actors, including coordination and cooperation between welfare actors and the police and intelligence services. In addition, we analyze the perspectives of clients, relatives and practitioners on exit interventions.
Objectives
The project is a comparative study of exit practices in Norway, Sweden and Denmark. The objectives are to:
- gain empirical knowledge on exit and reintegration processes of (potential) violent extremists
- develop policy goals to improve security and prevent violent extremism.
Participants
NMBU researchers
Akthar Chaudhry
PhD Fellow, Noragric, NMBU
- Affiliated researcher
- Fourth Vice President of the Norwegian Parliament
- Former member of the Norwegian Parliament's Committee of Justice & 22 July Committee
Jan Christer Mattsson
Professor II, NMBU
Director of the Segerstedt Institute, University of Gothenburg, Sweden- Prevention of violent extremism
- Right- and left-wing extremism
- Countering racism
- Counter anti-Semitism
- Associate Professor in pedagogy
- Recipient of Martin Luther King Award 2024
Qasim Ali
Research Assistant
- Leader of Minorg
- Hate crimes
External partners
Hege Bøhm Ottar
SaLTo Prevention of drug addiction and crime, Oslo City Council (Secretariat)
- Coordination of municipal interventions related to crime prevention
- Collaboration between Oslo municipality and police on crime and violence among youth
- Exit strategies from the perspective of the municipality
Kjetil Friisø Ramborg
Regional Resource Centre on Violence, Traumatic Stress and Suicide Prevention (RVT), Eastern region of Norway
- Psychologist (clinical child and adolescent psychology)
- Radicalization and violent extremism
- Mental health and psychosocial work with refugees and minorities
Stian Lid
Centre for Welfare and Labour Research, OsloMet
- Public safety
- Crisis centre research
- Prevention of violent extremism in the Nordic region
- Youth violence
- Hate crimes
Tina Wilchen Christensen
Danish School of Education - Educational Anthropology, (Emdrup), Aarhus University
- Radicalization processes
- Identity formation
- Right-wing extremism
- Political extremism
- Exit processes
- Reintegration
- Anthropological psychology
