Marko Terviö

"When I was very young, I wanted to be a spacecraft designer, but this idea became less appealing after I discovered that designers don't get to fly their ships themselves", tells Marko Terviö.

A career expert

Who are you?

I am Marko Terviö, Professor of Economics at the School of Business' Department of Economics. My office is located at Economicum, which is also home to the Government Institute for Economic Research (VATT) as well as the economics departments of the University of Helsinki and the Hanken School of Economics. These economics departments cooperate as the Helsinki Centre of Economic Research (HECER) to organise joint research seminars and Master's- and PhD-level courses.

What do you research?

My area of research is microeconomics, with a special focus on labour market issues. Recently, I have been studying how the career choices and income developments of people with different levels of ability have been changing over the last few decades. An interesting structural change appears to be ongoing and there is very little systematic information on this issue from anywhere in the world. In addition, I'm working on a smaller project researching how a political career affects income.

What is most rewarding about your work?

Finding a new possible explanation for a phenomenon that others have interpreted differently. It is easy to become excited about your own results, but, of course, someone else has to find them viable as well. An example of such appreciation is to see your article added to the suggested reading lists of courses at other universities. 

What is most challenging?

Reliably identifying cause-effect relationships in data that is not generated in laboratory conditions. It is easy to see correlations, but it is not very interesting to just report such observations. The primary aim in high-quality research is not to come up with “strong” results, but to make plausible and precise measurements to back up your conclusions.  

Why economics?

When I was very young, I wanted to be a spacecraft designer, but this idea became less appealing after I discovered that designers don't get to fly their ships themselves. In secondary school, I wanted to become a reporter, but soon discovered I'd rather be the expert reporters go to for answers. Finland was going through a recession at the time and I got a lot out of the answers provided by economics experts. 

Why an academic career?

A thirst for knowledge and a general curiosity are perhaps most naturally satisfied at university. A large academic community is also a very stimulating setting. There's plenty of expertise and it's possible to hear and learn new things every day.

-----

Text: Nina Erho

Photo: Jussi Särkilahti

The original article has been published in the Aalto University Magazine issue 07.