INVESThub

INVESThub is a new platform for social experiments and interventions

INVESThub strengthens the research of interventions and social experiments within the INVEST Research Flagship. INVESThub strengthens the delivery of evidence-based interventions in early life. Cutting-edge research on the conditions and mechanisms involved at different periods of development enables our researchers to evaluate and develop various universal and targeted interventions to improve the efficiency of the current welfare state institutions at critical points in early life.

INVESThub is based on cutting-edge research in INVEST Research Flagship Centre and in PALO project and PCRClab, which both study decision-making. INVESThub is an unique new collaboration which combines the experimental decision-making research with the welfare state research made at the INVEST Research Flagship Centre.

Recent news and updates

INVESThub piloted a new workshop concept for social experiment research. In these workshops, our aim is to invite people to present their research plans and brainstorm together how to improve research processes and build up a successful background for issues such as collecting data etc.

The goals of the Workshops are:

1) To strengthen the academic community working with experimental designs at the very early stages of the experimental designs.

2) Particularly, to provide instances of discussion and debate of experimental designs that have not yet been fielded. Ws focus on experiments that have not yet fielded. Hence, researchers come to our Ws to seek comments before their designs are implemented in the field or lab.

In this very first workshop arranged 10th of October, Elina Aaltio & Nanne Isokuortti introduced their new project (Taitava – Skillful) Enhancing effectiveness in child protection by strengthening social workers’ communication skills in Finland. The workshop was very succesful and fruitful. The prensenters got good ideas as well as the participators in audince for their own projects. Workshop opened also a doors for cooperation. To be mentioned, our masters students took actively part in the workshop as well.

The Spring 2023 will be very active and interresting in INVESThub. Kirsi Peltonen started as an Associate Professor and Docent Aki Koivula as a senor researcher. Also, recruiting an IT-specialist to support research is progressing. We will coninue our Brownbag Sessions to offer a nice forum to present and share ideas for social experiments. There will be nice presentations from different fields of science. As a new thing, the seminars will also be streamed. There are also other events coming up so stay tuned! To be mentioned, the Hub will also have an own parallel session in the next INVEST Scientific Seminar.

UPDATE 17th of March 2023

Warmest thanks to Nevena Kulic for great collaboration and seminar presentation!

Title of the speech:

“Awareness of gender and educational inequality and support for school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey experiment

UPDATE 24.4.2023.

Warmest thanks to Mikko Leino, Katariina Kulha and Maija Setälä for presenting a very interresting plans for the research in FACTOR project. They introduced us how to build a research desing for the study: Three ‘types’ of climate deliberation – a lab-in-the-field experiment. The discussion was very active and fruitful. It gave the group good some ideas and advice for supporting the succesful compliation of the study!

INVESThub Brown Bags series

At the INVESThub we have launched a series of monthly “INVESThub Brown Bags” in which we gather around informal yet committed presentations. The objective is to strengthen the research community interested in experimental work by sharing ideas, comments and questions.

INVESThub Brown Bags Programme 2023

Presenter: Inga Saikkonen (Academy researcher, Åbo Akademi)

Title of the presentation: How Instrumentalism Undermines Democracy – Evidence from a Conjoint Experiment