Ann-Helén Bay

Ann-Helén Bay is a Professor of Political Science at Oslo Business School, Faculty of Social Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet). She serves as a full-time professor engaged in teaching and research, while also providing scientific advisory services to the Centre for Work Inclusion at OsloMet. Her academic leadership includes previous roles as Dean at OsloMet (2016-2019) and director at the Institute for Social Research (2007-2015).

Professor Bay's research focuses on welfare politics, welfare policy, and political legitimacy within political science and organizational theory. Her work examines critical aspects of the welfare state, research policy, and public opinion, with particular attention to how political dimensions influence welfare policy formation and public attitudes toward resource allocation in public and private sectors.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on contemporary welfare state challenges, particularly around citizen's income experiments, work inclusion programs, and the political tensions between public and private welfare services. Her research spans comparative studies across Nordic and European welfare states, with emphasis on policy implementation, evaluation, and the political dynamics shaping welfare reforms, including how immigration discourse affects support for universal basic income.

Professor Bay leads significant research projects including "The Norwegian qualification programme as a tool for work inclusion" which investigates how this program contributes to stable work attachment. Her scholarly output is extensive, with 48 scientific publications, 1 textbook, 14 research reports, and 65 dissemination pieces documented in Cristin.

Her academic leadership extends beyond OsloMet, as she serves on the board of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Oslo and the advisory board of the Faculty of Social Sciences at Aalborg University. Previously, she was a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the European Social Survey and served on the board of Aalborg University.