The purpose of welfare policy is to ensure good living conditions for the population as well as an inclusive society. This objective requires constantly updated knowledge about the design of social policy and the consequences of various services and benefits.
A key question is how the welfare state works for users in general and vulnerable groups in particular. This is particularly important in order to shed light on the consequences of poverty and social exclusion.
The goal of the Department for Health and Welfare Studies at Norwegian Social Research (NOVA) is to contribute knowledge in these fields.
Head of research group
Members
More about our research
Welfare states face several major challenges, and the Department for Health and Welfare Studies pays particular attention to five main challenges that form its core areas:
- welfare states and the green transition
- democracy and public administration
- comprehensive welfare services
- equal opportunities in education and employment
- social inequality in health
In the Department of Health and Welfare Studies, we work with interdisciplinary and comparative research throughout the life cycle, and migration and disability are central themes of our research.
In NOVA's strategy for the period from 2023 to 2026, we will anchor research activities within the above five core areas by continuing to:
- maintain a high academic level of our scientific publication
- disseminate our research to relevant user groups and the general public
- build on and expand existing international networks, and continue to focus on applications for international funding.
Our researchers and PhD candidates cover a range of disciplines (sociology, political science, economics, human geography, psychology and social work).
We lead and are involved in national and international research projects, funded by, among others, the European Commission, the EEA NO Grants, the Research Council of Norway, Norwegian ministries, directorates and civil society organisations.
Publications
- Bjørnshagen, V.; Rooth, D-O.; Ugreninov, E. (2025). Disability, gender and hiring discrimination – a field experiment. European Societies
- Takle, M. (2025). Showing Social Solidarity with Future Generations. Routledge
- Helland, H.; Strømme, T.B. & Thomsen, J-B. (2024). Social inequality in dropout rates in higher education: Denmark and Norway. Studies in Higher Education
- Wondemu, M. et al. (2024). Sickness absence among mothers caring for a child with disability: Examining the impact of mechanical and psychosocial occupational exposures. SSM - Population Health
- Trąbka, A.; Pustułka, P. & Bell, J. (2024). Making Sense of Data Interrelations in Qualitative Longitudinal and Multi-Perspective Analysis. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung
- Henningsen, E. & Takle, M. (2024). Cultural policy and the politics of display. The establishment of the opera house in Oslo. International Journal of Cultural Policy
- Haug, A.V. (2024). Crisis Management, Governance and COVID-19 : Pandemic Policy and Local Government in the Nordic Countries. Edward Elgar Publishing
- Østerud, K.L. et al. (2024). “My child is my job now” – Care, work and careers of mothers with disabled children in the Norwegian welfare state. Social Science and Medicine
- Heggebø, K.; Elstad, J.I. (2024). Health-related exit from employment before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway: Analysis of population-wide register data 2013–2021. SSM - Population Health
- Takle, M.; Vedeler, J.S.; Schoyen, M.; Bøhler, K.K.; Falch-Eriksen, A. (red.) (2023). Citizenship and Social Exclusion at the Margins of the Welfare State. Routledge
More publications are listed on the researcher's employee pages.
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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Paths2Include
PATHS2INCLUDE will expand our understanding of the multidimensional aspects of labour market discrimination, the impact of different policy frameworks, and the gaps and possible need for change on various levels in order to detect mechanisms and processes that shape barriers or facilitate inclusive labour markets in Europe.
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Consequences of the Pandemic for Living Conditions and Equality
In this project we will investigate the consequences of the pandemic for living conditions for children and young people, equality in families and for individuals, including children and adults with disabilities.
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Crisis Management in a Polycentric Nordic Local Democracy (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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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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Sustainability Performances, Evidence and Scenarios (SPES)
The aim of the SPES project is to generate new knowledge about the nexus between economic growth, human flourishing and sustainability, fostering the transition towards the sustainable human development in European countries and regions.
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Promising Practices: Holistic Work Inclusion of Young Adults
The project will map how young adults are followed up in NAV with the aim of developing the work inclusion practice of this group.
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Strategies for Achieving Equity and Inclusion in Education, Training and Learning in Democratic Europe (STRIDE)
STRIDE will provide a new, comprehensive and comparative knowledge-base on effective education reforms, policy initiatives and interventions aimed at reducing inequalities in education, training and learning outcomes in Europe.
