Jarkko Harju

Jarkko Harju is a Professor of Economics at Tampere University and a part-time Research Professor at VATT's research group on social security, taxation, and income distribution. He holds affiliations with VATT Institute for Economic Research, CESifo Institute in Munich, University of Turku, and Helsinki Graduate School of Economics. He earned his PhD in Economics from the University of Turku in 2013 and has held visiting roles at UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and University College London.

His research focuses on tax policy, firm behavior, and labor economics, particularly examining how taxes and social transfers influence individual and corporate decisions. Key areas include VAT incidence, payroll tax effects on firms, vehicle tax impacts, and entrepreneurship dynamics. He contributes to the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research (FIT), leveraging administrative data to analyze tax reforms and regulatory policies.

Recent work explores the collapse of Nokia’s economic impact, tax enforcement responses, and behavioral responses to copayments. His publications span tax incidence, firm dynamics, and policy design, with a focus on empirical evidence from microdata in Finland, Scandinavia, and beyond.

• Education: PhD in Economics, University of Turku (2013)
• Visiting Positions: UC Berkeley (2017–2018), Stanford University (2017–2018), University College London (2010–2011)

His research on taxation and labor markets has informed policy debates on firm competitiveness, tax compliance, and social security systems. He actively collaborates internationally, publishing in top journals and presenting at global conferences.