Disability, legislation, and social outcomes

Working with Norwegian register data and cross-national surveys, I investigate the socioeconomic consequences of disability across the life course. A key finding is that social-democratic welfare states do not, in fact, equalise valued outcomes for individuals with disabilities — challenging a common assumption about Nordic exceptionalism. I have also shown that anti-discrimination legislation can reduce perceived disability discrimination using heterogeneous difference-in-differences designs, and that early-life disabilities are associated with lower income attainment in adulthood even in generous welfare state contexts.

This research highlights the gap between welfare state aspirations and actual outcomes for people with disabilities, while also demonstrating that targeted legal interventions can make a meaningful difference.

Key publications