Publikationen

DIFIS-Studie 2026/4: Research and data infrastructure in social policy making: the case of Finland – an update to the 2023 DIFIS study

This paper describes the role of research in social policymaking in Finland. Research is conducted both in academia and in social and economic policy organisations. Data infrastructures in social policy research have made significant strides over the years. Statistics, administrative registers and surveys are the main sources of data. Records are often interlinked by personal identification numbers. Statistical micro and macro models are used in long-term planning and in analysing the results of planned policy reforms. Four recent social policy reforms illustrate the use and interplay of research and decision-making. They reveal both successful and less successful examples of the coordination of research and decisionmaking in social policy reforms. There is no single best solution for linking research and decision-making.