Understanding inequality through data: Meet Ronja Helénsdotter

Her research focuses on addressing policy-relevant questions at the intersection of labor, health, law, and crime using quasi-experimental methods and rich administrative data. She is particularly interested in inequality of opportunity and in how institutions, such as the judicial system, shape it.

In a recent project, Ronja has investigated the long-term consequences of compulsory out-of-home care for children in Sweden. Using unique data from more than 21,000 court cases linked to Swedish administrative registers, her research sheds light on how these placements affect children’s future outcomes and how interventions for vulnerable children might be improved.

Despite what many assume on hearing her surname (which means "Helén's daughter"), Ronja is Swedish, not Icelandic. Surnames formed from a parent's first name were once common in Sweden and have been growing in popularity again since a change in the law in 1982. That said, Iceland is high on her list of places to visit.

Learn more about Ronja and her research.