University of Helsinki

The research group at the University of Helsinki is based on collaboration between three institutes: the Department of Economic and Political Studies/Section of Social Science History, the Swedish School of Social Sciences (Department of Social Work and Social Policy) and the Centre for Nordic Studies CENS at the Department of World Cultures. The Department of Economic and Political Studies is the principal partner in this collaboration.

At this department, the research in the welfare state, work and labour markets has been developed as a central thematic field during the last ten years. Among the current research projects of the department, The Limits of Nordic Welfare Universalism – Labour market interests, locality and gender in post-World-War-II social regulation (Academy of Finland, 2009-2012) is most directly integrated in NordWel. The researchers from the collaborating departments have gained very good experiences from their previous cooperation within large national and international research programmes such as The Economic Crisis of the 1990s (Academy of Finland, 1998-2001), Interaction across the Gulf of Bothnia (Finnish-Swedish research program, 2000-2003) and Social Capital and Networks of Trust (Academy of Finland, 2003-2007) as well as in the international research training programme in conceptual history, CONCEPTA (coordinated by CENS). The researchers of the group represent several disciplines: political history, economic and social history, social policy and social work, political science, the history of ideas, and philosophy.

Theme Group 5 ‘The Normative Charges of Work: The Labour Market and the Welfare State’ is coordinated in here.

Contact: Professor Pauli Kettunen, email: pauli.kettunen(at)helsinki.fi

Helsinki-based NordWel-researchers meet and discuss papers every second week in the NordWel-Helsinki-seminar. To join the seminar, please contact heidi.haggren(at)helsinki.fi.
Seminar papers (protected) available here