17.06.2010 Households’ unpaid production and use of market services

Unpaid household work, conducted to promote the well-being of one’s household, is mainly excluded from the System of National Accounts (SNA) and GDP. Hence, no attention has been paid to the role of household production in the economy and as a booster of consumption opportunities. In our latest report we present the value of services produced by Finnish households in 2006. The calculations were compiled as a Satellite Account of Household Production, in accordance with the SNA model.

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21.04.2010 Relevant Research in a Knowledge Democracy: Citizens’ Participation in Defining Research Agendas for Europe

In our rapidly changing societies there is an on-going and increasing demand for research and development of science and technology. Therefore defining of research agendas becomes of great importance for the societal development. In a democratic perspective the process of defining relevant and proactive research agendas could in many respects gain from consultation of citizens. The new research agendas may very well be found among some of the tensions and frictions in our societies, for example social problems, health challenges and work life balance, and the citizens have special qualifications for identifying those write Anders Jacobi, Lars Klüver and Mikko Rask in their article (Book Knowledge Democracy).

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14.04.2010 User−Producer Interaction in Housing Energy Innovations. Energy Innovation as a Communication Challenge

In this article (Journal of Industrial Ecology) Research Professor Eva Heiskanen from the National Consumer Research Centre and Professor Raimo Lovio from Aalto University attempt to conceptualize the role and interaction of user and producer knowledge with the knowledge of environmental experts in housing energy innovations. They do so by applying the user−producer interaction framework to a case study on the introduction of low-energy housing concepts in Finland. On the basis of this analysis, they draw conclusions on the potential and limitations of today’s practices in the field. For example, they suggest that user involvement can help to enhance the acceptance of low-energy solutions but that the methods for involving users need to be adapted to the particular circumstances in each industry.

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15.12.2009 Standing in the check-out line ranks high on the list of concerns – Consumers’ views on the safety of running errands in grocery stores and shopping centres

This study focuses on the experiences of consumers concerning the safety of running errands in shopping centres and grocery stores. The concept of running errands here includes not only the actual shopping but also the trips to and from the store or shopping centre. This research endeavours to clarify how consumers experience the safety aspect of running errands in different kinds of shopping centres and grocery stores.

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05.11.2009 Helsinki Metropolitan Area migration flows in flux

“Helsinki Metropolitan Area migration flows in flux” is a survey examining migration flows, their patterns, and the factors influencing them in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. The survey covers migration flow from other parts of Finland to the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, migration flow within the Helsinki Metropolitan Area and that from the Helsinki Metropolitan Area to the surrounding municipalities. The objective is to discover the reasons that influence migration decisions and to identify various consumer types associated with migration. A mail-in questionnaire mapping out the direction of, motives for, and background to migration was completed by over 1 300 respondents in autumn 2008. Research data was also collected through thematic interviews with migrants.

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