A new Institute of Law and Welfare has been established at the Law School of the University of Eastern Finland. The core of research of the Institute of Law and Welfare is built around people’s fundamental rights relating to welfare at different stages of life. Research carried out at the institute can also focus on social assistance and welfare service systems, authorities and other actors in operating in the welfare sector. Anna Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen, Senior Lecturer of Elder Law, has been appointed as the Director of the new institute.
“Our goal is to bridge gaps between different disciplines and facilitate multidisciplinary networking. The institute serves as a platform that allows us to quickly react to topical needs for research and education arising from changes in our operating environment,” Mäki-Petäjä-Leinonen says.
According to Professor Tapio Määttä, the Head of the Law School, the new institute with its number of researchers of welfare law constitutes the most significant centre for the field’s research and education in Finland.
“The institute will host four professors and associate professors, four senior lecturers and postdoctoral researchers, and six university teachers and early-stage researchers. Through this institute, we seek to strengthen our cluster of expertise, which unique in Finland and significant even by international standards,” Määttä says.
