erityistutkimuksia

Erityistutkimuksia is a Finnish term referring to targeted or special investigations conducted to gather information beyond routine activities in order to address a specific issue, inform decision-making, or support program design, evaluation, or policy development. The term covers a range of study types and is used across sectors, including public administration, education, health care, social services, and environmental planning.

These investigations are typically commissioned when existing data are insufficient or a focused, in-depth analysis is required. They are often carried out by researchers, consultants, or specialized institutions and come with a defined scope, schedule, budget, and set of deliverables. The aims may include needs assessment, feasibility analysis, program evaluation, impact assessment, or policy recommendations.

Methods used in erityistutkimuksia can be qualitative, quantitative, or mixed. Common approaches include surveys, interviews, focus groups, observations, experiments or quasi-experiments, document analysis, and secondary data analysis. Ethical considerations and data protection are typically important, especially when human participants are involved, and approvals or compliance with relevant regulations may be required.

Outputs from these studies are usually written reports, policy briefs, or recommendations intended for decision-makers and stakeholders. The findings are expected to be actionable and clearly linked to the commissioning questions, while limitations and uncertainties are openly discussed.

In summary, erityistutkimuksia denote purposefully targeted investigations that provide evidence to guide decisions, improve services, or inform reforms, conducted with a defined remit and systematic methods. See also research methods, program evaluation, and policy analysis.