About
Axel West Pedersen is professor at NOVA and the Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy, Oslo Metropolitan University. He is trained as a political scientist at the University of Aarhus and holds a PhD in Political and Social Science from the European University Institute in Florence. Pedersen’s research interests include historical-comparative studies of the development of pension systems, studies of welfare opinion, and studies of the consequences of welfare policies for income inequality and income poverty.
Fields of study
Academic disciplines
Social sciences Political science and organisational theory
Subject areas
Distribution of Income Security Pension policy Welfare attitudes
Research groups
Research projects
Ongoing research projects
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Sustainable wellbeing through investment in social services (SWINS)
The project aims to bridge knowledge gaps on how investments in social services influence macroeconomic stability and the EU’s sustainability transition.
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The Norwegian qualification programme as a tool for work inclusion
In this project, we investigate how the Norwegian qualification programme can contribute to stable work attachment for the participants and function as an effective tool for work inclusion.
Completed research projects
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Children's Level of Living: The Impact of Family Economy for Children's Lives
The aim of the project was to explore how income influence different aspects of children's lives.
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Coping with Flexibility. Behavioral Adaptations to the New Pension System and their Consequences in a Lifetime Perspective
The aim of this project is to study how people adapt to the reformed pension system. In particular, we look at adaptations to the increasing flexibility offered – both in terms of savings, and in terms of job planning and ways of combining work and pension uptake.
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Crisis Management in a Polycentric Nordic Local Democracy: Different Governance Structures – Different Results? (POLYGOV)
The overall goal of the project is to identify the differences in the Nordic countries’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the outcomes thereof and to relate these differences to policy, governance, organisation and management.
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New Pension System: Legitimacy, Behavioural Effects and Sustainability (PensjonsLAB)
A long-term research contract on the issues of old age pension and labour market activity among seniors financed by The Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
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Shades of Grey: Negotiating Age Norms, Class and Gender in the time of Pension Reform
How employers and employees maneuver under the new circumstances in The Norwegian pension reform.
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Sustainable Societies in the 21st Century: From Welfare States to Eco-social States (WEST)
The WEST project examines what we call the ecological dilemma of the Norwegian welfare state.
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The Work-retirement Transition
The project aims to investigate characteristics of the work-retirement transition and the factors contributing to when and how the transition takes place.
Publications and research
Scientific publications
Bay, Ann-Helén
;
Hellevik, Tale
;
Pedersen, Axel West
(2025).
Holdninger til ressursbruk i velferdsstaten blant yrkesaktive i offentlig og privat sektor.
Bay, Ann-Helén; Røiseland, Asbjørn (Ed.).
Offentlige eller private velferdstjenester? Politiske spenninger og faglige nyanser.
Cappelen Damm Akademisk.
https://doi.org/10.23865/cdf.243.ch6
Eyjólfsdóttir, Harpa Sif;
Hellevik, Tale
;
Herlofson, Katharina
;
Pedersen, Axel West
; Lennartsson, Carin;
Veenstra, Marijke
(2025).
Poor psychosocial work environment: a ticket to retirement? Variations by gender and education.
European Journal of Ageing.
Vol. 22.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10433-025-00855-z
Bay, Ann-Helén
;
Hellevik, Tale
;
Pedersen, Axel West
(2024).
Popular support for a universal basic income – still sensitive to playing the immigration card?.
European Journal of Social Security (EJSS).
Vol. 26.
https://doi.org/10.1177/13882627241278111
Heggebø, Kristian
;
Pedersen, Axel West
(2024).
How severe was the COVID-19 pandemic in the Nordic countries?.
Haug, Are Vegard (Ed.).
Crisis Management, Governance and COVID-19 : Pandemic Policy and Local Government in the Nordic Countries. p. 17-27.
Edward Elgar Publishing.
https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035336
Elstad, Jon Ivar
;
Heggebø, Kristian
;
Pedersen, Axel West
(2023).
Lønner det seg å jobbe? Inntektsutvikling blant stønadsmottakere som øker sin arbeidsdeltakelse.
15 p.
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
https://doi.org/10.18261/spa.40.2.3
Heggebø, Kristian
;
Pedersen, Axel West
(2023).
The Norwegian Welfare State Adjusting to Crisis: Temporary Changes in Unemployment Benefit Regulations during the COVID-19 Pandemic and their Long-Term Implications.
Takle, Marianne; Vedeler, Janikke Solstad; Schoyen, Mi Ah; Bøhler, Kjetil Klette; Falch-Eriksen, Asgeir (Ed.).
Citizenship and Social Exclusion at the Margins of the Welfare State. p. 48-63.
Routledge.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003347279-5
Hellevik, Tale
;
Herlofson, Katharina
;
Pedersen, Axel West
(2023).
Hvordan måle tidspunkt for avgang fra yrkeslivet i Norge? Om ulike definisjoner, metoder og resultater.
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
Vol. 40.
https://doi.org/10.18261/spa.40.1.3
Halvorsen, Elin;
Pedersen, Axel West
(2022).
Bidrar folketrygdens pensjonssystem til inntektsutjevning i et livsløpsperspektiv?.
Søkelys på arbeidslivet.
Vol. 39.
https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.1504-7989-2022-01-02
Bay, Ann-Helén
;
Pedersen, Axel West
(2021).
The age profile of European welfare states. A source of intergenerational conflict?.
Falch-Eriksen, Asgeir; Takle, Marianne; Britt, Slagsvold (Ed.).
Generational Tensions and Solidarity Within Advanced Welfare States. p. 38-58.
Routledge.
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/2825698
Kitterød, Hege;
Grødem, Anne Skevik
;
Pedersen, Axel West
(2021).
Kjønnsgap i holdninger til pensjonssystemet – verdikamp eller økonomisk egeninteresse?.
Tidsskrift for velferdsforskning.
Vol. 24.
https://doi.org/10.18261/issn.2464-3076-2021-03-02
