Kalevi Sorsa Foundation is a social democratic think tank based in Helsinki, Finland. The foundation’s objective is to promote public debate on just ecological transition and democracy and to produce research and publications. The foundation’s work proceeds from the ideas of social democracy; we ask how freedom, equality, and solidarity can be realised in public policy, today and tomorrow.
The think tank’s activities take place at the intersection of research, politics, and decision-making. The foundation publishes studies and reports, organises events, and participates in different ways in the public discussion.
The foundation is an international actor. We cooperate with centre-left and progressive think tanks bilaterally and through our membership in the umbrella organisation Foundation for European Progressive Studies.
The foundation was established in 2005 and it carries the name of Kalevi Sorsa, social democratic statesman and long-time prime minister of Finland.
Topics
Just Ecological Transition
How should our societies be developed in order to make them environmentally sustainable? How can the ecological transition be implemented fairly?
In terms of just ecological transition, Kalevi Sorsa Foundation works as a link between research, politics, the labor movement and non-governmental organizations. The goal is to create a dialogue between different actors in the field and to bring new openings and international ideas to the Finnish discussion.
Reducing Inequalities
When examining inequality, we emphasize the multiplicity of the phenomenon. We are particularly interested in the interlinking of these dimensions of inequality.
Climate change creates a big challenge for reducing inequality. How is the ecological transition implemented in a just manner? What kind of practical policy measures does it require?
Economic and Tax Policy
The economy is linked to all key issues in society, whether it’s about people’s well-being, sustainable business or the transition to a society that operates within the limits of the planet.
Kalevi Sorsa Foundation’s research on economic and tax policy examines how the economy should be organized so that it sustainably serves the well-being of people and nature.
Democracy Support
Kalevi Sorsa Foundation’s democracy support focuses on promoting multicultural and functioning democracy in the Western Balkans. Our project aims at strengthening the voice of young people by training politically active youth in North Macedonia, Albania, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. We also facilitate cooperation between political think tanks in the Western Balkans across national and ethnic borders. The project is funded by the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
Our project promotes democracy and stability in the Western Balkans by strengthening civil society. The project has two elements: political academies for future leaders in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina and North Macedonia, and a series of seminars for political think tanks in the target countries, which will strengthen the capacity of think tanks, increase interaction between them and improve social dialogue in the target countries.
Political academies are training programmes funded in collaboration with the Swedish Olof Palme International Center and the German Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. The focus of the trainings is on strengthening the capacity of civil society, especially young people who are active in politics or CSOs. The training covers, among other things, multiculturalism and ethnicity, democracy, freedom of expression, and equality of women and minorities. At the same time, Finnish good practices are highlighted in the trainings. Local partner organisations – North Macedonian Progres Institute for Social Democracy, Bosnia-Herzegovinan Forum of Left Initiative and Albanian Qemal Stafa Foundation – are responsible for the practical implementation of the political academies.
In addition, the project strengthens cooperation and networking between political think tanks in the Western Balkans. By supporting the interaction between think tanks, we can promote the transfer of best practices from one country to another, for example in the fight against corruption, the inclusion of minorities, and EU integration. This component of the project is implemented in cooperation with the Progres Institute in North Macedonia.
The project is coordinated by Jelena Simić.
Staff
Emails: firstname.lastname@sorsafoundation.fi
Lauri Finér Director Tel. +358 41 501 2317
Lauri Finér has led Kalevi Sorsa Foundation since November 2022. He also takes part in research activities specifically related to economic and tax policy. In his previous career he has worked as a tax specialist at the Finnish Tax Administration and SDP parliamentary group, as a tax researcher as well as a special assistant at the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister’s Office. He works on a doctoral dissertation on changes in international taxation at the University of Helsinki Faculty of Law.
Anna Rajavuori Project Manager Tel. +358 50 556 2447
Anna Rajavuori is responsible for the project on Reducing Inequalities. She holds a doctorate in political history from University of Helsinki. Formerly Rajavuori has worked as a researcher and lecturer at the Department of political and economic studies in University of Helsinki.
Janne M. Korhonen Project Manager Tel. +358 41 501 8481
Janne M. Korhonen is responsible for the research theme on a just ecological transition. He graduated with a master’s degree in engineering from Helsinki University of Technology and finished his doctorate at Aalto University School of Business. He has been working as a researcher, teacher, non-fiction writer and partner in a design agency.
Heta Melartin Researcher (economic policy) Tel. +358 50 362 8592
Heta Melartin will carry out a study on the financial and employment effects of care services in 2024. She has graduated with a master’s degree in economics from the Aalto University School of Economics. Melartin has previously worked in research at VATT Institute for Economic Research and Helsinki GSE.
Jelena Simić Project Manager Tel. +358 50 5529 665
Jelena Simić (Bachelor of Social Sciences) is responsible for the project “Supporting Democracy in Western Balkans – Progress and Bridges”. She has studied sociology and South Slavic languages and cultures at the University of Helsinki. Earlier, she has volunteered in non-governmental organizations and worked as a teacher.
Anna Kuokkanen Communications Specialist Tel. +358 50 553 3507
Anna Kuokkanen coordinates the foundation’s communication and is responsible for its development. She has a PhD in sociology and has previously worked extensively in communication and research at the University of Helsinki, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and non-governmental organizations. She also works as a documentary photographer.
Margolit Mihlin takes care of the day-to-day finances and administration of the foundation. During her career, she has accumulated diverse skills in the activities of companies, associations and foundations.
