INVEST at the Europe Forum: Can Europe Afford Ineffective Welfare? Evidence-Driven Paths to a Sustainable Welfare State
An ageing population, economic pressures and widening social inequalities are challenging traditional ways of providing social security and public services in Europe. A financially and socially sustainable welfare state requires decision-making in which both preventive and corrective policies are based on planned and continuous impact assessment. At the Europe Forum on 26 August, INVEST presents a research-based model for building more effective, equitable and crisis-resilient welfare systems.
The discussion will bring together perspectives from European policymaking and cutting-edge research. Its aim is to strengthen the link between scientific evidence and political decision-making. On the main stage of Turku City Theatre, the topic will be discussed by Member of the European Parliament Maria Ohisalo and Academy Professor Jani Erola, Director of the INVEST Research Flagship Centre. The discussion will be moderated by Senior Researcher Johanna Peltoniemi from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
The new Nordic model for welfare state reform discussed at the event is based on a book called Beyond the Nordic Welfare State: Extending Social Investments with Interventions, edited by Jani Erola, Pasi Moisio and Johanna Peltoniemi (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2026).
Registration for the Europe Forum opens in early August.
Explore the Europe Forum programme.