Data Room
The Data Room is an independent VATT unit that supports knowledge-based decision-making. It produces up-to-date reports that make use of register data to support decision-making and to assess the impacts of political solutions. The Data Room is an internationally unique project that began as a pilot in 2023 and has since been permanently established.
Data Room cooperation
The Data Room works in close cooperation with Statistics Finland and the Helsinki Graduate School of Economics GSE. Statistics Finland collects data for the needs of the Data Room, and Helsinki GSE supports the Data Room with academic research expertise and guidance. Other researchers from VATT, other research institutes, universities, ministries and other government agencies also participate in Data Room projects. Its activities are funded by the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Education and Culture.
Data Room's activities
The Data Room primarily responds to the current information needs of the Government by combining unit-level register data across administrative branches. Assignment priorities are supported by a cross-administrative steering group appointed by the Ministry of Finance. Data is needed at different stages of the legislative drafting and budget processes, such as for government proposals. Most assignments take a few months, depending on the time required to obtain additional material.
Most of the analyses and reports of the Data Room are submitted directly to the ministries. It also publishes some of its own reports. Under certain conditions, participants of the assignments can also conduct academic research and write theses in the Data Room to further their understanding of the topic.
Research Groups
The Data Room's analysis activities are divided into three thematic groups. The Business group has studied, for example, business subsidies and the impacts of sanctions against Russia on the exports of Finnish companies. The Environment and Energy group has studied, for example, the targeting of electricity subsidies and energy and transport poverty. The Education, Labour Market and Households group, on the other hand, has studied the impacts of the income limits of student financial aid, the placement of Ukrainians in the Finnish labour market, and the impacts of changes in distraint legislation on households.
More information on the Data Room website: https://vattdatahuone.fi/
