Anastasia Sinitsyna defended her doctoral thesis

Anastasia Sinitsyna defended her doctoral thesis „Links between segregation processes on the labour and housing markets: evidence from Finland“ and obtained the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Economics).

Summary:
The objective of this dissertation is to determine to what extent segregation in different areas of life, such as the labor market and housing market, is interconnected. Segregation is a process where different groups (based on income level, nationality, education, etc.) cluster in specific geographical areas, separating them from other groups. As a result, people experience greater inequality and cultural isolation.
Study I showed that income inequality is positively related to residential segregation but with a 10-year delay. Differences emerged across countries' welfare systems, with income inequality and residential differences being highest in liberal welfare systems and lowest in social democratic systems. Helsinki successfully implements anti-segregation policies, such as a high proportion of social housing and even distribution among neighborhoods with varying income levels, which help prevent high levels of segregation.
Study II showed that the relationship between industrial niching and workplace segregation is very strong, indicating that the labor market is highly segregated even in the context of Finland's social democratic welfare system. Therefore, in immigrant-receiving countries, segregation processes originate from immigration policies that direct immigrants into specific segments of the labor market, which tends to carry over to the housing market. Only deliberate housing policies aimed at leveling differences can prevent extensive labor market segregation from transferring to the housing market.
Study III showed that the integration of new immigrants into the housing market is a complex process that depends on many factors, such as language skills, cultural background, and potential discrimination. Consequently, successful housing integration policies for new immigrants should emphasize both housing mobility and neighborhood mobility, including considering how these two are interconnected.

Thesis: https://hdl.handle.net/10062/95692

Supervisors:
Professor Raul Eamets, University of Tartu
Professor Tiit Tammaru, University of Tartu

Opponents:
Sampo Ruoppila, University of Turku (Finland)
Associate Professor Anu Masso, Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia)