What kind of services can we afford in the future? How can we make use of what we learned from COVID? – THL got funding for three projects
THL researchers have received funding from the Strategic Research Council (SRC) for three projects. The topic of one of these is what has been learned from the coronavirus pandemic and how the lessons can be utilised in other possible crises. In two other projects, the focus is on challenges posed by demographic change. One of these examines if society can afford the kinds of social benefits and social and health care services that exist now, and the other looks at how the benefits affect the birthrate.
The population is ageing rapidly – how can we guarantee an economically and socially sustainable welfare state now and in the future?
The ageing of the population puts pressure on the economic sustainability of the welfare state, and consequently on benefits and services. This could endanger the social sustainability of our society and increase inequality.
THL leads the SustAgeable research consortium, whose projects are aimed at finding solutions to guarantee well-being and to secure the financial foundation of the welfare state.
“The project focuses on issues such as reducing growth in social and health care costs, enabling a longer work career, and integrating immigrants”, says the director of the consortium, THL Research Manager Maria Vaalavuo.
The project offers information on how successful policy actions can reduce the undesirable consequences of an ageing population, while examining questions such as the level and distribution of well-being among different population groups.
How can we utilise what we have learned from the coronavirus pandemic in future health crises?
We need socially and politically sustainable governance to secure well-being in rapidly escalating health crises, such as pandemics. The WELGO project develops, spreads, and establishes courses of action that increase understanding about the nature of complex crises and their management.
“In WELGO we collect lessons of the coronavirus pandemic and develop sustainable pandemic governance in Finland. Pandemics and their governance involve different kinds of social and health problems that need to be understood and considered while developing courses of action”, says Chief Specialist Eeva Nykänen, the director of the THL work package.
The work package compares ways of handling the pandemic in different countries, especially in Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. Special attention is paid to constitutional aspects and to how various measures affect fundamental rights. The WELGO consortium is led by the University of Helsinki.
How do benefits and economic security affect the birthrate and couple formation?
The project of the FLUX consortium led by the University of Turku grapples with changing ways for forming a family. It seeks solutions for affecting and adapting to changes in the birth rate and the ageing of the population.
“The work package led by THL studies the effects of family policy and social policy on the setting up of families and the well-being of families with children”, says Research Professor Pasi Moisio, director of the THL sub-project.
Goals of the project include studying how the basic income trial and differences among municipalities in social and health care services have affected the birthrate, couple formation, and the sustainability of couple relationships. In addition, comparisons are made on the effectiveness of family policy measures of EU countries.
Further information:
Maria Vaalavuo (SustAgeable)
Research Director, Consortium Leader
maria.vaalavuo (at) thl.fi
Eeva Nykänen (WELGO)
Chief Specialist, director of the work package
eeva.r.nykanen (at) thl.fi
Pasi Moisio (FLUX)
Research Professor, director of the work package
pasi.moisio (at) thl.fi
