Research Projects
Intergenerational Cumulative Disadvantage and Resource Compensation (INDIRECT)
The INDIRECT project studies intergenerational inheritance of socioeconomic attainment, with a focus on the idea of resource compensation. Resource compensation can be seen to come into play when families lose resources and attempt to compensate for these losses either through the use of other resources, which have not been lost, or with the resources of other family members or neighbours. By extending the idea of resource compensation to a broad range of situations in which resource compensation may occur, the INDIRECT projects aims to advance the theory behind and empirical evidence for intergenerational socioeconomic inheritance
KiVa® antibullying program
KiVa is a research-based antibullying program that has been developed in the University of Turku, Finland, with funding from the Ministry of Education and Culture. The effectiveness of KiVa has been shown in a large randomized controlled trial. In Finland, KiVa is a sought-after program: most of all comprehensive schools in the country are registered KiVa schools implementing the program.
Tackling Inequalities in Time of Austerity (TITA)
The consortium project Tackling Inequalities in Time of Austerity (TITA) provides a novel and comprehensive analysis of long-term trends in financial inequalities, inequalities in health and well-being and inequalities of opportunities over the life course, and their links to the moral and political climate in society. Thus, it analyses together multiple forms of inequality (such as income, wealth, consumption, education, family dynamics, health, mortality, trust and deprivation) and their interrelationships.
It introduces a holistic framework for mapping the most crucial target groups for policy measures and ensures feasible policy recommendations for reducing inequalities in society for decades to come. It provides tools for policy-learning, both through within-country studies and cross-national comparisons. It exhausts unique longitudinal and time-series data and top-of-the-art statistical methods to fully explore mechanisms of inequality.
Awareness, prevention and early intervention (APEX)
The APEX consortium aims to promote the mental wellbeing of families, regardless of their socioeconomic environment, education, geographical location or ethnic background.
We aim to develop and study services that increase mental health literacy and low-threshold, digitally delivered intervention programs regarding maternal postpartum depression, conduct problems of pre-school children and anxiety problems among school-aged children.
A common factor of these programs is the use of human‐centered digital technologies. We want to provide the general public as well as social welfare, health care, early childhood education and teaching professionals cost‐efficient and practical tools for the detection and early intervention of mental health symptoms.
Transition from costly and strenuous special health care and child welfare services to early detection and prevention requires scientific research to support the decision-making. Our research project is committed to the objective of Strategic Research Council at the Academy of Finland to support evidence-based policy and find solutions to the major challenges facing Finnish society.
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Opintokamu®
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Falling fertility and the inequalities involved (NEFER)
NEFER focuses on fertility dynamics and their links to social inequalities, as manifested in the case of Finland and other Nordic countries, which are often seen as forerunners of family change and in developing social and gender equality. These countries are experiencing an unexpected decline in fertility, increases in childlessness, and fundamental shifts in socioeconomic disparities in family formation, challenging the established understanding of the drivers of fertility changes and the underlying mechanisms guiding family formation.
NEFER seeks to identify the mechanisms behind this fertility decline, increase in childlessness and the shifting social inequalities involved, as seen in Finland and the other Nordic countries.
NEFER is a research project funded in 2019–23 by the Academy of Finland. The PI and team leader is Marika Jalovaara. The research is carried out at the University of Turku, in the INVEST research flagship.
Intergenerational relations: from single discipline paradigm towards interdisciplinarity (IntRel)
Previous social science studies have been unable to successfully explain why intergenerational family support is unequally distributed across generations. Combining theories and findings from different fields of study, Intergenerational relations: from single discipline paradigm towards interdisciplinarity (IntRel) project will provide an evolutionarily informed sociological model helping to explain the complex nature of intergenerational relations. The project will show whether and how evolutionary relevant factors still shape human behaviour in contemporary affluent societies and in which circumstances the societal development may override the effect of evolutionary rooted tendencies.
IntRel project is funded by the Academy of Finland in 2019–2023. The PIs of the project are Mirkka Danielsbacka and Antti O. Tanskanen. IntRel is carried out at the University of Turku and it is a part of the Academy of Finland’s flagship Invest.