Norwegian version

Centre for Welfare and Labour Research

Centre for Welfare and Labour Research (SVA) is Norway's largest centre for social science research, and is made up of four institutes and two topic specific centres.

Featured research from the SVA institutes

Child hiding face. Sitting in sofa with woman.
A holistic approach to supporting victimized children

Barnahus is an innovative model of caring for and supporting children who have been the victim of violence and sexual abuse. It provides a safe and supportive environment to meet their legal, medical, and psychological needs.

Mother feeding child at kitchen table
Mothers of disabled children work less, take more sick leave, and often leave the workforce entirely

“There are schemes designed to alleviate the burden on mothers, but evidence suggests they are not effective,” says NOVA researcher Kaja Larsen Østerud.

Norwegian royal palace facade with the royal family on the balcony and graduating high schoolers walking and crawling on the ground in a parade dressed in red or blue "russ" outfits.
The Norwegian graduation celebration that bonds and divides students

To mark the end of 13 years of education, Norway’s high school graduates participate in a celebration characterized by unique outfits, and bedazzled buses.

Close-up of a girls face, painted with a map of the European continent, and with striking eyes.
Europe move towards more restrictive, selective and temporary refugee policies

Over the past decade, European countries have grown more restrictive in whom they grant protection, and for how long that protection is granted.

The centre of Oslo seen from the Ekeberg hillside with Bjørvika and Barcode in the foreground.
Oslo, the divided city

A deep socioeconomic divide splits Oslo from east to west. It will continue to deepen unless it is more widely acknowledged and addressed.

woman dressed in black fixing a bike
Extending product life yields a greater environmental impact than any other measure

Sustainable consumption should not be reduced to reuse and recycling, according to SIFO researchers.

Silhouette of people at an airport departure hall.
Norway is lovely, so why are people leaving?

The people who leave can have as much impact on a country as those who come in. Yet not much is known about Norway's 30,000 annual emigrants.