Latest content
Our latest updates, thoughts, and events — as they roll out.
In Imagining Change Through Science – Demos Helsinki Research Encounters, we explored how science and research have shaped societal change.
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Demos Helsinki is currently involved in 14 Horizon Europe projects. From exploring the societal impacts of new technologies to tackling climate challenges, these projects reflect a growing demand for research that sparks systemic change. Discover how we are working across disciplines to shape fairer, more sustainable futures.
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These three research projects are: 1) Reducing polarisation via material participation (MaDem); 2) Coastal waters under pressure – safeguarding a healthy Gulf of Finland in a changing geopolitical and environmental landscape (CoWup); and 3) Safe Water for All (WaterFall).
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Drawing on almost five years of Cities Mission implementation, Demos Helsinki and its partners from Dark Matter Labs and the Mission Board argue that mission governance has reached policy readiness. Its mechanisms have been tested, its governance infrastructure is in place, and it offers a transferable model for delivering on EU strategic priorities at scale.
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Finland managed the Covid-19 pandemic comparatively well. Yet the longer the crisis lasted, the more visible the limits of the governance system became. This brief examines what a prolonged crisis revealed about institutional strength, societal vulnerabilities, and the kind of governance future crises demand.
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Decades of low growth in Finland may be a symptom of a weakened capacity for renewal inside organisations, including the country’s top businesses. In this report, we explore the role that Finnish companies play in the current growth environment and document what business leaders think should be done next. We conclude with key recommendations for boards and executive teams to create the conditions for a renewed purpose in business, one that fits the current Finnish context and reveals underused capacity for renewal.
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What if affordable housing could improve its residents’ employment prospects too?
August 11, 2016
Co-working and co-living concepts are revolutionising low-income housing. On offer for residents in some communities now are language courses, leadership training, low-interest loans, and much, much more. Affordable housing is more than just apartments The numbers of self-employed people and those who work remotely are growing at a rapid…
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Why blockchain – the innovation behind Bitcoin – might completely transform the way we think about trust (and everything else)
July 1, 2016
Last week, we invited leading digital experts, designers and social scientists to discuss blockchain technology over a breakfast of coffee, sandwiches and yoghurt. The blockchain and its applications are indeed some of the most exciting recent developments in the digital world, but many questions remain unanswered. In this blog post,…
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How giving up mobile phones saved Nokia – and why it’s ready to take over the world again
June 29, 2016
The future of the internet is the future of Nokia Text: Oskari Onninen Photography: Juha Törmälä Translation: Simo Vassinen The move was the finest one yet in the history of Finnish business, though no-one would believe it. Nokia issued a press release on the first of July in 2013….
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