Postdoctoral Fellow
Mathea.Loen@uib.no
Mathea Loen is a postdoctoral fellow at the Centre for Research on Discretion and Paternalism and the Department of Government (University of Bergen). She holds a PhD in political science from the University of Bergen (2025). Loen is affiliated with the research project Child Protection Systems Across the World (CPS-World), and she is currently working with large-scale population survey data, examining public attitudes on child protection, family values and state-citizen relations.
Mathea’s research interests include welfare state attitudes, institutional trust, public opinion, and social norms, specifically in relation to children’s rights, family and child protection.
Publications
Articles:
- Loen, M (2025). Norm Adherence, Trust, and Citizens’ Compliance: Exploring Citizens Attitudes to Public Welfare Institutions Across Europe. Governance, 28 (3)
- Loen, M., & Skivenes, M. (2025). The value of responsibility, certainty, and child rights for supporting state intervention in the family – An empirical study of populations in six European countries. Journal of European Social Policy
- Loen, M. & Skivenes, M. (2023) Legitimate child protection interventions and the dimension of confidence: A comparative analysis of populations views in six European countries. Journal of Social Policy: 1-20.
Education
- PhD in Political Science (University of Bergen)
- M.Phil in Comparative Politics (University of Bergen)
- Bachelor’s in Comparative Politics (University of Bergen)
Projects
Get to know Mathea
What are you working on right now?
I have recently joined the CPS World-project as a postdoctoral fellow, which is super exciting. I am currently working on several research articles that examines people’s attitudes towards the welfare state and its role in protecting children. In one of the articles, we use data from a big survey project where we collected data from 41 countries.
What do you like most about your job? And what do you like the least?
I really enjoy the freedom and creativity that comes with being a researcher. We get to be curious and ask questions that we are interested in, which is something that sparks motivation and drives us forward. But it is also really hard and difficult work, and the freedom can also be your worst enemy. Routine and good habits are key!
What are you listening to these days?
Not a lot, actually. I have a handful of bands that I listen to on repeat, including Kaizers Orchestra and Green Day.
If you were the prime minister for a day, what would you do?
Oh there are so many things I want to do… I would build a lot of animal sanctuaries and rescue centres (and hire lots of staff) so that no animals would suffer and increase the salaries to those working in schools and in healthcare.
Is there a TV show you are binging?
I’m loving season 7 of The Rookie at the moment, and I am impatiently waiting for season 22 of Grey’s Anatomy (my ultimate comfort show)!
Updated Fall 2025