Public Policy and Governance

About the research group

Who We Are: The Public Policy and Governance (PPG) research group brings together over 60 researchers to advance cutting-edge theoretical and empirical research in the field of Administrative Sciences. The versatile expertise of our group members combines managerial, regulatory, and spatial aspects of public policy and governance in a unique setting. Our mission is to provide research-based insights and tools that support public institutions, managers, leaders and policymakers in navigating complex challenges and fostering effective public administration through anticipatory governance.

Our Research Themes: We focus on three interconnected areas that reflect our diverse expertise:

Governance of Complex Systems: Investigating how public institutions respond to uncertainties, societal problems and operate within multi-level governance through legal and regulatory frameworks and democratic processes.
Public Sector Transformation: Exploring how public management reforms, innovations, digitalization and organizational and regional changes contribute to sustainable development and enhance adaptive capacities in the public sector.
Policies and Practices for Public Value: Examining how policies are designed, implemented, and evaluated to meet citizen needs and foster resilience, well-being and long-term societal impact.

These areas build on the research topics of our researchers in the fields of public management, public law, regional studies, and social and health management.

Our Impact: We advance leading governance research in close collaboration with our academic and societal stakeholders locally, nationally and internationally. We actively publish in high-quality journals and regularly contribute to our key academic communities such as the IRSPM, EGPA and Eu-SPRI, as well as editorial boards including Public Management Review.

We are deeply committed to creating societal impact through our research projects that drive innovative and sustainable societal transformation. Together with our collaborators such as the City of Vaasa, the Wellbeing Services County of Ostrobothnia, Finnish ministries and the European Commission, we co-create knowledge that informs policy and practice.

Research-based Education: We maintain a strong research-teaching nexus, contributing to Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral programs in Administrative Sciences. Our research group supports the career development of future scholars and practitioners, producing 4–6 new PhDs annually.

Latest updates

Ilmakuva Vaasan yliopisto ja Vaasan kaupunki.

Media release 04.11.2025

STRAIND Research Project Strengthens Finland’s Regional Industrial Policy – Responds to Challenges in a Volatile Operational Environment

Eija Mattila Vaasan yliopiston kampuksella.

Dissertation 03.11.2025

Public leaders must get actors out of their trenches

News 23.09.2025

Growth and competitiveness through AI and intangible capital, and a roadmap for a sustainable space economy – University of Vaasa receives funding from the Strategic Research Council

Show more news

Research projects

Project	Duration	Actors
European Co-Care Learning Ecosystems (Co-Care)	12/2025 - 12/2028	Management, Public policy and governance
SPACECONOMY - Advancing Sustainable Economic Growth through Space Economy	10/2025 - 09/2028	International business and marketing, Public policy and governance, Digital Economy, Marketing and Communication, Management
STRAIND - Bridging Strategic Spatial Policies and Returning Industrial Policies for Innovation and Growth	10/2025 - 09/2027	Management, Public policy and governance
Misleading Consumers	09/2025 - 08/2029	Marketing and Consumption Research, Communication studies, Economics, Public policy and governance, Cyber-Physical Systems, Marketing and Communication, Accounting and Finance, Management
Nordic Energy Capital	03/2025 - 03/2027	Management, Technology and Innovations, Digital Economy, Public policy and governance, Smart electric systems, Cyber-Physical Systems
Vaasa Climate Commitment	01/2025 - 12/2026	Public policy and governance, Digital Economy, Strategic business development
Alliance for Socially-acceptable & Actionable Plants (ASAP)	01/2025 - 12/2028	InnoLab, Management, Technology and Innovations, Strategic business development, Networked value systems NeVS, Public policy and governance
Pandemiakriisin opetukset (Lessons from the Covid-19 crisis)	04/2024 - 12/2025	Public policy and governance, Management, Resilience
Spontaneous Volunteering in National Defense (SPOVA)	04/2024 - 12/2025	Public policy and governance, Resilience
Resilience of complex legal systems in sustainability transformation (RELIEF)	10/2023 - 12/2026	Public policy and governance, Complexity research, Resilience

Publications

Publication year	Publication	Authors
2025	Onko oikeusjärjestelmässä tilaa edistää kestävyysmurrosta?	Huotari, Essi; Toikka, Miia; Hakio, Kirsi
2025	Public sector innovation	Tuurnas, Sanna
2025	From Healthcare Technology to Care Robot-Literate Practitioners	Turja, Tuuli; Kork, Anna-Aurora
2025	Health and social care professionals’ expectations for e-leadership in the digital transformation: a qualitative study	Kaihlanen, Anu-Marja; Kainiemi, Emma; Virtanen, Lotta; Hilama, Pirjo; Einola, Suvi; Heponiemi, Tarja
2025	AI and strategy: The three perspectives framework	Merilehto, Juhani; Poudel, Dinesh
2025	New ICTs are redefining concepts of social sustainability and information ecologies	Anis, Taha; Kumpulainen, Sanna; Hautala, Johanna
2025	Kokonaisturvallisuus politiikkaideana – Kehysanalyysi eduskunnan täysistuntopuheenvuoroista	Jalonen, Harri; Rantamäki, Aino
2025	IT solutions for health workforce shortages: improving administrative processes and care access—a comparative study of five European countries	Michalska, Kamila; Gonzalez Gonzalez, Ana Isabel; Likic, Robert; Flinterman, Linda; Dan, Sorin; Domagala, Alicja
2025	ADM in Public Administration in Finland and Hungary: Does the Legal Culture Matter?	Mäntylä, Niina; Barta, Attila; Karjalainen, Ville
2025	Ilmatilan vahvistuva merkitys alueiden kehittämisessä	Karhu, Mikko

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Research group leaders

Helka Kalliomäki

Associate Professor (tenure track)

School of Management / Regional Studies

helka.kalliomaki [at] uwasa.fi

Students

Personnel

Public Policy and Governance

About the research group

Latest updates

Research projects

Publications

Research group leaders

Helka Kalliomäki

Anna Kork

Research group members

Helka Kalliomäki

Antti Mäenpää

Ilkka Luoto

Tuomas Honkaniemi

Johanna Kalliokoski

Mikko Karhu

Jukka Keinänen

Jarmo Koskela

Marianne Mäntyoja

Olena Maslyukivska

Sonja Niemelä

Ejike Okonkwo

Justyna Pierzynska

Tiina Pitkänen

Jaakko Rantamäki

Julius Repo

Sampo Ruoppila

Seija Virkkala

Lisa Wätzold

Roosa Wingström

Christoph Demmke

Esa Hyyryläinen

Lotta-Maria Sinervo

Sorin Dan

Paula Rossi

Kirsi Lehto

Niina Mäntylä

Oyetade Oyewunmi

Jyri Paasonen

Laura Perttola

Kristian Siikavirta

Tiina Petrelius

Terhi Raikas

Veera Rosendahl

Maija-Sofia Ulmanen

Joonas Widlund

Riku Yli-Korpela

Harri Jalonen

Anna Kork

Juha Lindell

Harri Raisio

Ruben Arcos

Janniina Autio

Jari Autioniemi

Jussi Björninen

Toni Ekroos

Niklas Gummerus

Mari Jalava

Riia Kemppainen

Susanna Kotamäki

Kaisa Kurkela

Salla Maijala

Juhani Merilehto

Tomi Niemi

Ville-Pekka Niskanen

Patrik Nordin

Aino Rantamäki

Hanna Smith

Rose Thompson Coon

Miia Toikka

Petri Uusikylä

Pirkko Vartiainen

Doctoral Researchers

Podcasts by researchers and research projects

Oivalluksia: Näkökulmia lähiöistä

Oivalluksia: Kompleksinen kokonaisturvallisuus

Oivalluksia: Paikkaseksikäs maaseutu

Oivalluksia: Korruption vaaran vyöhykkeet

Oivalluksia: Kuka valvoo kouluja?