Virpi Kaisto

I hold a Doctorate in Social Sciences (DSocSci), Human Geography. My doctoral study explored the Finnish-Russian borderland as a lived space during the period from 2013 to 2018. The research examined how residents on both sides of the border imagined and used their local environment in a period of relatively free cross-border mobility. My previous studies have also focused on the everyday life of people living in the Finnish-Russian borderland and on territorial development in border areas.

My last research project was CHANEBO (Challenges at EU’s North-East External Borders). It analysed the impacts of Russia’s war in Ukraine war and the suspension of the CBC ENI programs on the north-eastern external border regions of the EU. It developed policy recommendations on how EU cohesion policy can better support the resilience and sustainable development of its external border regions in the face of future crises.