Organization of ESS in Norway and Europe
ESS was established in 2001 and has gradually become recognized as an important European research infrastructure, with the status of European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) since 2013.
European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC)
ESS consists of a core module with fixed questions, as well as rotating modules that cover specific topics such as immigration, democracy, and social trust. The consortium is governed by the Core Scientific Team (CST), which, together with the national coordinator teams, ensures high quality and comparability in data collection.
The Core Scientific Team is led by Rory Fitzgerald from City, St George's, University of London (UK) (external link), together with seven other partner institutions:
ESS in Norway
In 2019, the University of Bergen (UiB), through the Department of Government, took over responsibility for conducting ESS in Norway, after NTNU under Kristen Ringdal had served as the national coordinator since the survey’s inception in 2001.
The assignment is granted by the Research Council of Norway for a four-year period, with the possibility of an additional four-year extension, which has been approved. The project period is therefore 2019–2028, with a funding allocation of 57.9 million NOK.
ESS in Norway is coordinated by the Department Government at UiB. Operations are carried out by DIGSSCORE (Digital Social Science Core Facility), which also coordinates the national infrastructure KODEM (Coordinated Online Panels on Democracy and Governance).
Key Norwegian personnel involved in ESS:
- Professor Sveinung Arnesen, UiB, is Norway’s National Coordinator (NC). He is also a member of the ESS Core Scientific Team, representing the national coordinators of the member countries.
- Senior Adviser Siv Johnsen Soriano, Research Council of Norway, represents Norway on behalf of the Ministry of Education in the General Assembly.
- Professor Ann-Helén Bay (external link), OsloMet, chairs the ESS General Assembly.
- Professor Signe Bock Segaard (external link), Institute for Social Research, is a member of the Methods Advisory Board (MAB).
- Professor Elisabeth Ivarsflaten, UiB, is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
- Professor Kjell Gunnar Salvanes (external link), Norwegian School of Economics (NTNU), is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
Sikt (external link)(formerly NSD – Norwegian Centre for Research Data) has been the data archive for ESS since 2001 and supports the surveys together with six other survey research institutions through membership in the ESS Core Scientific Team (currently represented by three members: Bodil Agasøster, Gyrid Havåg Bergseth, and Ole-Petter Øvrebø). Sikt is also responsible for curating and archiving the data, as well as disseminating data and documentation through the ESS Data Portal. Norway has participated in all rounds of ESS.
Norwegian actors are therefore heavily involved not only in the implementation of the national data collection but also occupy central roles within the ESS infrastructure at the European level.