Arnfinn Haagensen Midtbøen

Arnfinn Haagensen Midtbøen is a full Professor at the Department of Sociology and Human Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oslo. He leads introductory sociology courses (SOS1004) and migration sociology (SOSGEO2800), while also teaching advanced statistical methods at PhD level (SOS9009). His academic work focuses on immigration, integration, ethnic inequality, and labor market discrimination through mixed methodologies including field experiments, survey experiments, qualitative interviews, and document analysis.

• PhD in Sociology (2013) from University of Oslo
• Previous Research Fellow/Researcher at Institute for Social Research (2008-2022)
• Visiting Scholar: Princeton University (2012), CUNY (2017), Sciences Po (2023-2024)

Midtbøen's research reveals significant polarization among immigrant descendants in Norway, with both overrepresentation in elite professions and persistent educational disparities. His field experiments demonstrate similar discrimination levels in hiring as in the US, despite Norway's egalitarian reputation. He examines ethnic niche formation in high-status occupations and investigates institutional structures affecting social mobility.

Scientific Contributions:

• Associate Editor, International Migration Review
• Norway Country Expert, Global Citizenship Observatory (Florence)
• Editorial Board: Norwegian Sociological Journal
• Board Member: Center for Interdisciplinary Gender Research & PRIO

Key Projects:

• NAVIGATE: Ethnic minorities' labor market navigation
• CILSNOR: Longitudinal study of immigrant children
• Co-founded IMISCOE research network on cross-national discrimination

Public Engagement:

• Regular media commentator on migration issues
• Columnist, Morgenbladet (2017-2019)
• 2020 Communication Award, Norwegian Sociological Association
• Chair, Government Integration Policy Committee for migrant workers (2021-2022)