Sustainability of welfare policy

Welfare policy research focuses on social security, health and alcohol and drug policies, as well as issues related to the sustainability of social and health care delivery systems.

During the programme period, STAKES' specific contribution to research on the sustainability of welfare policy is to combine the economic and social perspectives. STAKES relates the general discussion on economic sustainability to the social and health sector.

Research themes

The social policy system and welfare policy

STAKES undertakes research on changes in the Finnish welfare state and the social impacts of welfare policy. Policies are analysed at both the national and the EU level. Research on the social security systems is concerned with changes in these systems, especially in minimum income security, and the consequences of such changes for citizens with regard, for instance, to activation and incentives.

Health policy

STAKES undertakes research on the impacts of globalisation on Finnish social and health policies. One area of interest focuses on the content, actors and processes of international health policies. Further, research is conducted on the development of the information society and its impacts on the service delivery systems in social and health care, health care professionals and citizens. Research is also carried out on ways to reduce socio-economic health inequalities and on the role of preventive services in this process.

Alcohol and drug policy systems

STAKES undertakes research on changes and trends in alcohol and drug policy systems and substance abuse prevention, and analyses the formation of systems for regulating harms related to alcohol and drugs. Research is carried out on the interrelations of the different levels of alcohol and drug policy - international, national and regional - and their impacts on substance use and harms. Other research topics include different methods of harm prevention and reduction and their outcomes. The aim is also to examine how the Finnish system compares with other countries.

Organising and financing health services

STAKES undertakes research on trends in and factors affecting health expenditure. Research is carried out on the sufficiency of funding and the different options available for financing health care in the future, taking into account the targets of equality between different population groups and geographical areas. Research into different ways of organising services is concerned with the functionality and efficiency of new methods of service delivery and their impacts on service use and population health status.

Social economy

STAKES undertakes research on trends in expenditure on social services and on the factors behind these trends, developing methods for the economic evaluation of social services. The aim is to identify ways to promote the sustainable development of service costs. In addition to the economic sustainability of service costs, the social consequences of economic decisions are analysed.