Areas of research

• Working lives and pensions
• Pension systems and pension policies in international comparison
• Comparative welfare state research

Presentation

My research focuses on comparative analysis pension systems and policies. In particular, I am interested in how changes in working careers and labour markets affect pension adequacy. Furthermore, I am interested in gender equality, social policies over the life course and welfare state development in general. My academic background is in quantitative Political Science and Social Policy and I currently contribute to several international research networks and projects.

• CV (pdf)
• ORCID
• ResearchGate
• Google Scholar

Ongoing research projects

• Inequalities in Pensions and Retirement: Life-courses and Pension Systems in Comparative Perspective
• Extending Working Lives – a Comparative Approach
• Income, Pensions, Poverty and Experiences (IPPE)
• Parenthood as Early Career Earnings Risk (PAECER)

Read more: Ongoing Research Projects.

Publications

• Kuitto, K. & Kuivalainen, S. (2020) Pensions. In: Ellison, N. & Haux, T. (eds.) Handbook on Society and Social Policy. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. 279–290.
• Riekhoff, A.-J. & Kuitto, K. & Palomäki, L.-M. (2020) Substitution and spill-overs between early exit pathways in times of extending working lives in Europe. International Social Security Review, 73(2).
• Kuitto, K. & Salonen, J. & Helmdag, J. (2019) Gender Inequalities in Early Career Trajectories and Parental Leaves: Evidence from a Nordic Welfare State. Social Sciences, 2019, 8, 253: 1–17 (Special Issue on Family and Work: Parental Leave and Careers, edited by Ann-Zofie Duvander & Alison Koslowski). DOI: 10.3390/socsci8090253.
• Kuitto, K. & Salonen, J. & Helmdag, J. (2019) Perhevapaat työurariskinä? Trajektorianalyysi nuorten aikuisten työurapoluista [Parenting leaves as career risk? Trajectory analysis on early career paths of young adults]. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 2:2019, 197–205.
• Kuivalainen, S. & Nivalainen, S. & Järnefelt, N. & Kuitto, K. (2018) Length of working life and pension income: Empirical evidence on gender and socioeconomic differences from Finland. In: Journal for Pension Economics and Finance, First View 27 September 2018.
• Helmdag, J. & Kuitto, K. (2018) Independent policy learning: Contextual diffusion of active labour market policies. In: Dunlop, C. & Radaelli, C. & Trein, P. (eds.) Learning in Public Policy. Analysis, Modes and Outcomes. Houndsmills/Basingstoke: Palgrave. 317–346.
• Kuitto, K. (2018) Measuring welfare entitlement generosity in developing welfare states: the case of post-communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe. In: Social Indicators Research 136(1): 203–224 (First Online 17 December 2016).
• Kuivalainen, S. & Rantala, J. & Ahonen, K. & Kuitto, K. & Palomäki, L.-M. (eds.) (2017) Eläkkeet ja eläkeläisten toimeentulo 1995–2015 [Pensions and pensioners’ economic welfare 1995–2015]. Eläketurvakeskuksen tutkimuksia 01/2017.
• Ahonen, K. & Kuitto, K. & Palomäki, L.-M. (2017) Eläkeikäisten toimeentulo ja pienituloisuus eurooppalaisessa vertailussa [Income and poverty of retirees in a European comparison]. In: Kuivalainen, S. & Rantala, J. & Ahonen, K. & Kuitto, K. & Palomäki, L.-M. (eds.) Eläkkeet ja eläkeläisten toimeentulo 1995–2015 [Pensions and pensioners’ economic welfare 1995–2015]. Eläketurvakeskuksen tutkimuksia 01/2017.
• Vidlund, M. & Väänänen, N. & Mielonen, A. & Kuitto, K. (2017) Pension system design and intergenerational redistribution: applying Musgrave’s rule in a comparative setting. In: Review of Sociology 27(4): 40–60.
• Kuitto, K. (2016) From social security to social investment? Compensating and social investment welfare policies in a life course perspective. Journal of European Social Policy 26(5), 442–459.
• Helmdag, J. & Kuitto, K. (2016) Interdependent Learning from Policy Success: Contextual Diffusion of Active Labour Market Policies. Greifswald Comparative Working Paper No. 10, September 2016.
• Kuitto, K. (2016) Post-Communist Welfare States in European Context: Patterns of Welfare Policies in Central and Eastern Europe. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.
• Kuitto, K. (2016) Miten mitata eläketurvan riittävyyttä? [How to measure the adequacy of pensions?] Työeläke 2:2016, 12–13.
• Scruggs, L. & Jahn, D. & Kuitto, K. (2014) Comparative Welfare Entitlements Dataset 2. Version 2014-03. University of Connecticut and University of Greifswald.