معرفی
Jani Erola is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Turku, Finland, and the founding Director of the INVEST Research Flagship Center, a collaborative initiative between the University of Turku and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. He is also the coordination Principal Investigator (PI) of the Horizon Europe project MapIneq. His academic home is in the Department of Sociology within the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Education:
- Doctor of Philosophy in Economic Sociology, Turku School of Economics (2004)
- Docent in Economic and Structural Sociology, University of Eastern Finland
- Docent in Economic Sociology, Turku School of Economics
His research centers on intergenerational social mobility, socioeconomic inheritance, social class, income inequality, and life course dynamics. He employs advanced sociological research methods to study how family background shapes individual outcomes in education, employment, and well-being. His work bridges demography, welfare state analysis, and stratification research.
The recent publications reflect a strong focus on educational inequality, family structure, early childhood interventions, and comparative analyses across Nordic and European countries. His work frequently investigates how public policies—such as early education access or family support schemes—moderate or exacerbate social inequalities over the life course.
Scientific Awards and Honors:
- ERC Consolidator Grant for the INDIRECT project on intergenerational disadvantage
- Academy Research Fellow, Academy of Finland (2009–2014)
Jani Erola has supervised numerous researchers and led major funded projects, including the ERC-funded INDIRECT, the Academy of Finland Flagship INVEST, and the Horizon Europe MapIneq. He has served as editor of Acta Sociologica and president of the Westermarck Society (Finnish Sociological Association), demonstrating leadership in the national and international academic community.
He leads the INVEST Research Flagship and the DPInvest Doctoral Programme, fostering interdisciplinary research on inequalities and welfare innovation. His team includes sociologists, demographers, and public health researchers working on life course interventions and social policy evaluation.
