I’m Lauri Luosta, a public policy researcher trained in applied microeconomics. I am a Specialist at the VATT Institute for Economic Research's Data Room in Helsinki, where I produce analyses, reports, and research from large-scale Finnish register data, working with ministries and other government stakeholders to identify information needs and support policy-making and impact evaluation across labor markets, immigration, firms, and social and health policy. 

My research focuses on child well-being, behavioral health, and consumer finance, investigating how public policies, such as minimum wage increases, the legalization of marijuana, and the legalization of sports gambling, affect families through spillovers on household finances and child welfare. I employ quasi-experimental and other quantitative methods using large-scale administrative and financial datasets. Previously, I was a postdoctoral scholar at the Polish Academy of Sciences, working on a Wellbeing Simulation Model (WELLMOD) in collaboration with the London School of Economics, the Paris School of Economics, and the University of Luxembourg.

Beyond my research, I have experience teaching undergraduate courses in consumer research and quantitative methods, and I previously conducted policy research at the Urban Institute.  In addition, I am an Affiliate Economist at Northwestern University’s Research and Innovation for Social and Economic Inclusion (RISEI) Lab, where I contribute to research on youth with disabilities and labor-market outcomes. I hold a PhD in Consumer Behavior and Family Economics and a Master of International Public Affairs from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.