Nordic Public Policy Symposium in Helsinki 10 – 11 December 2026

Welcome to the fourth annual Nordic Public Policy Symposium organised by FIT in Helsinki on 10 -11 December! We are pleased and happy to have Johannes Spinnewijn from the London School of Economics as the keynote speaker of the event.

Welcome to the fourth annual Nordic Public Policy Symposium (NPPS) on December 10 – 11, 2026 in Helsinki, Finland. This year NPPS is hosted by the Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research (FIT).

NPPS focuses on Nordic research: the symposium presents work from researchers based in Nordic countries or using Nordic data or institutions as part of their analysis, in all topics related to public policy and public economics, such as taxation, social insurance, inequality, health, education, regulation, labor markets, firms and innovation or environmental and climate policy. A share of the presentation slots is reserved for early-career researchers.

In Call for Papers (DL 11 October), 67 excellent research papers were submitted – thank you! The programme will be published on this page soon.

There’ll be a limited number of seats available for invited audience to join the discussions in NPPS. If you’re interested, please contact: fit.events@tuni.fi. The organisers deserve the right to limit the number of participants.

The symposium combines a relaxed academic setting with the opportunity for structured feedback and networking.

Where and when

Date: December 10 – 11, 2026
Venue: Hotel Katajanokka (formerly Helsinki county prison), in central Helsinki, Finland

Keynote speaker

We are very pleased to have Johannes Spinnewijn from the London School of Economics as the keynote speaker of NPPS 2026.

A photo of Johannes Spinnewijn - the keynote speaker of NPPS 2026

Funding

The event, including meals in the programme, is free of charge. Accommodation in Helsinki for two nights is booked and paid by the organisers. In addition, travel costs in economy class can be covered for presenters who have no such funding available. To foster interactions, we ask participants to stay for the entire duration of the symposium.

Organisers and funders

Kaisa Kotakorpi, Tampere University, Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research FIT
Jarkko Harju, University of Glasgow, Tampere University, Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research FIT

The event is financed by Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research FIT, Research Council of Finland, Tampere University, Skatteforsk – Norwegian Centre for Tax Research, and Nordforsk, project number 211358.

Arrival instructions

The symposium venue is Hotel Katajanokka, housed within a former prison dating back to 1837. The address of the hotel is Merikasarminkatu 1 A, Helsinki.

You can get to the hotel by using public transport or a taxi. Here are some instructions on how to get to the venue from the airport or railway station.

By public transport

Helsinki Airport – Helsinki Central Railway station
You can get easily from Helsinki Airport to the city center by using the Helsinki regional trains I and P going in direction Helsinki. The trains leave every 10 minutes and the trip to the Central Railway Station takes about 30 minutes. The airport railway station is located right beneath the airport terminal and there is a straight escalator connection from the arrival and departure halls down to the railway station.

The HSL (Helsinki regional transport) ticket costs 4,50 € (choose zones ABC) and you can purchase your ticket at one of the ticket machines at the airport railway station or by using contactless payment directly on board the vehicle. The ticket is valid for any bus, tram or train in the Helsinki region for 90 minutes after purchase.

Public transport is very reliable, safe and easy to use in Finland. You can find more information about the timetables and how to buy a ticket here: https://www.hsl.fi/en/travelling/visitors/airport-train

Helsinki Central Railway station – Hotel Katajanokka
You can get easily from Helsinki Central railway station to The symposium venue Hotel Katajanokka (Merikasarminkatu 1 A) by taking tram 5 going in direction Katajanokan terminaali. The tram leaves every 10 minutes and the trip to the hotel takes about 15 minutes. The tram stop is located right in front of the railway station main entrance.

Get off the tram at Kauppiaankatu. The walk from the tram stop to the hotel takes about 5 minutes. After getting off the tram, continue along Kruunuvuorenkatu in the same direction as the tram until you reach the intersection at the end of the block. Turn left at the intersection and walk along Linnankatu until you reach the hotel.

By taxi

If you wish, you can take a taxi from the airport to the hotel. Taxi prices vary a lot, but the trip from Helsinki Airport to Hotel Katajanokka costs 50€ on average.

Previous events

The symposium rotates locations annually across the Nordic countries. Previous events were organised:
2023: Stockholm
2024: Copenhagen
2025: near Oslo

The Nordic Public Policy Network

The Nordic Public Policy Network (NPPN) aims to foster coordination between Nordic tax research centers. Its purpose is to explore how tax policies and administrations can contribute to fair economic and social policies, support climate transitions, and address other challenges.

The NPPN was initiated by Skatteforsk- Center for Tax Research in the Norwegian University of Life Sciences and was established in 2025 together with other key Nordic academic institutions through funding from a Nordforsk grant. Finnish Centre of Excellence in Tax Systems Research FIT is one of the network members.

Read more about Nordic Public Policy Network here.