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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The greatest opportunity for success in metropolitan regions lies in their
ability to realise the potential of their inhabitants. But how can we
create regional vitality without eroding the foundations of tomorrow’s success?
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The Politics of Happiness – A Manifesto is based on a collaborative effort with WWF Finland and Demos Helsinki, and it presents a positive message. Who would not want to ensure the happiness of people and the wellbeing of the Planet?
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Authors: Tuuli Kaskinen, Outi Kuittinen, Aleksi Neuvonen, Roope Mokka When analysing energy-relevant decisions, we have noticed that there are once-in-a-lifetime decisions (e.g. choosing the family home) that set the energy consumption, at a relatively fixed level, for years to come. When examining energy decisions further, the prime importance of gatekeepers…
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Governing with cities: Europe’s overlooked governance infrastructure
July 21, 2026
The Cities Mission functioned as a natural experiment that revealed an overlooked property of European governance: cities do not merely implement policy more effectively; they generate governing capacity and governance knowledge that Europe should intentionally incorporate into policy design through a revised multilevel governance architecture.
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The next MFF should institutionalise what mission governance has proven
July 21, 2026
The challenge for the next MFF is not to invent a new governance model, but to organise European decision-making around the governing capacity that already exists.
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Governments can steer with wellbeing at the core (but nobody said it was easy)
April 28, 2026
Governments keep promising change and then hitting the same walls with the old machinery. Reorienting governance around human wellbeing is both urgent and possible, and the work continues even when the political climate turns.
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