Senior Researcher

Liisa Laakso is an expert in world politics and development, focusing on democracy, crisis management, and EU-Africa relations. She has held key academic roles, including Rector of the University of Tampere, and served in advisory roles for governmental and non-governmental organizations.

Research

Liisa Laakso’s research interests cover elections, authoritarian rule, higher education, university management, academic freedom, academic diplomacy, decolonization of education, international development policies and regional integration. Her research at the Nordic Africa Institute has focused on political science discipline in Africa, policy studies, electoral violence, the conditions and impact of academic freedom, academic mobility, and South African foreign policy.

Current positions and affiliations

• Member of the governing board of the Africa Coalition for Academic Freedom (ACAF) External link, opens in new window.
• Chair Human Rights Committee, Council of Finnish Academies External link.
• Chair, the International Accreditation Council for Global Development Studies and Research External link.
• Vice-chair Nordic South Forum External link, opens in new window.
• Docent, development studies, University of Helsinki
  

Background

Liisa Laakso has held national and international positions of trust, including membership in the Finnish Government’s Research and Innovation Council and the Research Council for Culture and Society of the Academy of Finland. She chaired the Board of Finnish Development NGOs (Fingo) from 2020 to 2023. Before joining the Nordic Africa Institute in 2019, she was Rector of the University of Tampere and earlier Dean of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki. In 2004, she was named Professor of Development and International Cooperation at the University of Jyväskylä.

Publications

Full list of publications (Google scholar) External link, opens in new window.

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