EquiFirm 2026
From 10–11 September 2026, NHH hosted the third workshop, “Gender Diversity in Organisations and Careers”, organized by Astrid Kunze (NHH) and Marco Francesconi (University of Essex, Affiliate Professor at NHH). This was the third workshop in a series of events connected to the research grant “Challenges in rapidly changing labor markets: Human capital, firms, and family policy” (EquiFirm), funded by the Norwegian Research Council (NFR) for the period 2021–2027 and led by PI Astrid Kunze.
The workshop included an open session in which collaborators presented three research papers. During the coffee break, NHH colleagues and the research group had time for informal conversations and exchange. The internal workshop continued until late Friday afternoon with further discussions and presentations. We were very pleased to make use of NHH’s excellent facilities, and we thank Camilla Nesfossen Hopsdal for taking care of the organisation of the event. The workshop would not have been possible without external funding from the Norwegian Research Council.
The open workshop featured three papers on which the research group is collaborating. All three papers use Norwegian register data administered and shared by Statistics Norway (SSB), to which the research group has been granted access.
Christina Gathmann (LISER, University of Luxembourg) opened the workshop by presenting a research article that asks whether having a good boss matters for workers’ labour market careers within the same firm. In the next presentation, Giorgia Conte (NHH), from the Department of Economics, presented a paper exploring whether paternity leave has changed firms. The workshop concluded with a presentation by Yushao Ye (NHH), a PhD student at the Department of Economics, who presented new results from a study investigating spillover effects of the 2002 childcare reform in Norway on firm behaviour.
The local research team participated in the workshop: Astrid Kunze, Marco Francesconi (Professor II at the Department of Economics), Yushao Ye (PhD student), and Giorgia Conte (Postdoctoral Fellow). The group’s international collaborators also took part, including Christina Gathmann (LISER, University of Luxembourg), Mette Ejrnæs (University of Copenhagen), Gozde Corekcioglu (Ozyegin University), Mattia Laudi (LISER), and Flavia Mastrangelo (Erasmus University Rotterdam). Many thanks to all colleagues who joined us for the workshop and the internal meetings. Read the full programme.
For me, one of the highlights of life as a professor and researcher is bringing international top researchers together in a workshop where, in an informal setting, junior and senior scholars can exchange fresh research results. NHH is a place that places research high on the agenda and encourages top-quality research. The NFR research grant has given me considerable freedom to bring researchers together to work on Norwegian register data and on topics that I find important: equality in firms and how to create an inclusive working life. When we applied for the proposal, we emphasised these questions in light of changes in labour markets. Looking at recent developments, including high uncertainty in economic growth and labour markets, these topics appear even more important now than when I received the grant in 2021.
- Professor Astrid Kunze