Erika Gubrium

Erika Gubrium is a Professor of Social Work and Social Policy at OsloMet’s Department of Social Work, Child Welfare and Social Policy. She holds a PhD in Sociology and History of Education from the University of Florida (2006) and a Master’s in International Social Welfare and Health Policy from OsloMet (2009). Her work focuses on global anti-poverty policies, immigrant belonging processes, welfare state sustainability, and embodied qualitative research methods. She leads the ERC-funded Welfare Experiences project (2023-2028), examining welfare benefit experiences in five European countries.

Key affiliations include the Globalisation and Social Sustainability research group and the Work Inclusion in North and South project. She collaborates internationally with institutions like the National Law School of India University and the Higher School of Economics in Moscow. Her research bridges comparative policy analysis with socio-psychological dimensions, emphasizing spatial-temporal dynamics of social inclusion.

Recent projects include ‘Sustainable Wellbeing through Social Services’ (SWINS), analyzing macroeconomic impacts of social investments, and ‘SITUATE’, exploring immigrant integration trajectories. Her pedagogical work includes teaching qualitative methods and global social work perspectives.

Publications span journals like Environment and Planning E and European Journal of Social Work, with thematic focus on climate imaginaries in welfare states, border conviviality, and labor activation programs. Her work consistently integrates transnational perspectives with micro-level social processes.