Center of Excellence for Strategic Sustainability

The Center of Excellence for Strategic Sustainability (CESS) is a research group with the University of Tartu Institute of Social Sciences whose research is focused on the topics of the sustainability of human resources, social institutions, and military sociology. The Center of Excellence for Strategic Sustainability was established in January 2014 in cooperation between the University of Tartu Institute of Social Studies and the National Institute for Health Development in order to meet the Ministry of Defence's need to improve its expertise and knowledge with regard to human resources in the field of defence.

Expertise was combined and created along three main axes: monitoring and forecasting demographic and social changes; health and physical capability; and morale and preparedness. Over the years, the UT research group has carried out several collaborations and projects, thus enabling the Ministry of Defence, Defence Forces, Defence League and Defence Resources Agency to enhance and adjust their actions in regard to human resources based on the information which was gathered and analysed.

Members of the research group are actively involved in international specialty networks: the NATO research and development working groups, ERGOMAS (European Research Group on Military and Society) and ISA (International Sociological Association) research networks. The research group more broadly contributes to knowledge transfer through supervising bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral theses in the field of defence.

Current projects

Collaboration project between the Estonian Defence Forces and the UT Institute of Social Studies, “Development and maintenance of resource retention as a core competence of research and development in the field of defence”

The main empirical focus of the collaboration project is a complex survey of human resources in the Estonian Defence Forces. The aim of the human resource complex survey in the Estonian Defence Forces is to gather information on the opinions and attitudes of conscripts in order to make better decision regarding the management and organisation of the conscription. It also provides the opportunity to analyse changes in the attitudes and opinions of the conscripts over several years. The survey is carried out among conscripts twice: at the beginning and at the end of the conscription. The survey is carried out in collaboration between the Estonian Defence Forces and the University of Tartu.

Read more about the complex survey HERE.

Public opinion and national defence surveys have continuously been used to monitor the population’s attitudes and opinions regarding the sphere of national defence and security for 20 years. This type of monitoring has been essential in mapping the population’s sentiment and preparedness. Within the framework of the research project, the connections between the population’s values and attitudes and their effect on the development of the sentiment towards national defence are analysed in a more complex manner. This deeper kind of knowledges provides the opportunity for updating public opinion polls, taking into account the changed social context, e.g. misinformation and the emergence of fake news, hybrid war, etc. The theoretical starting point for the development of the analysis scheme is the combination of the concepts of social cohesion/unity and polarisation.

“Youth after imprisonment and criminal custody: Social adaptation and recidivism monitoring”

This research project which is funded by the Ministry of Justice contributes to creating a comprehensive overview of youth adaptation and coping after imprisonment, criminal custody or closed childcare institution service. The research project has two aims:

(1) To create a framework for monitoring the coping and recidivism of youth after leaving the prison system: methodology, tools and organisation.

(2) To determine the coping and recidivism among youth after leaving the prison system and the factors involved in it.

Completed in 2021

Truusa, Tiia-Triin, Kasearu, Kairi, Strömpl, Judit (2021). Military spouses in contemporary Estonia: meaning making in the stories of the wives and partners of active servicemen. Journal of Baltic Studies, 307−321. DOI: 10.1080/01629778.2021.1915830.
Laanepere, Taavi; Kasearu, Kairi (2021). Military and Civilian Field Related Factors in Estonian Reservists’ Military Service Readiness. Armed Forces & Society, 47 (4), 690−709. DOI: 10.1177/0095327X20944093.
Lillemäe, Eleri; Kasearu, Kairi; Ben-Ari, Eyal (2021). Conscription in a Changing Society. EMA Occasional Papers, 12, 23−29.
Kivirähk, J., Kasearu, K. (2021). Tee avaliku arvamuse uuringutest kompleksuuringuni. Academia Militaris, 2, 32−33.
Lillemäe, E., Truusa, T.-T. (2021). Kaksikkonverents: virtuaalsust ja reaalsust. Academia Militaris, 2, 32−33.
Kasearu, K., Sarik, M., Tooding, L-M. (2021). Ajateenijate füüsiline vorm ehk sportimisest kaitseväes. Sõdur : Eesti sõjandusajakiri, 4, 46−51.
Kasearu, K., Järvala, E., Trumm, A. (2021). Ajateenijate kohanemine eriolukorras mullu kevadel. Sõdur : Eesti sõjandusajakiri, 1, 44−47.
Pilli, Einike; Truusa, Tiia-Triin (2021). Assessment in professional military education. Tartu, Estonia: University of Tartu Press.

Lillemäe, Eleri; Kasearu, Kairi; Ben-Ari, Eyal (2021). How to Make Conscription Count? Converting Competencies in the Estonian Case. In: 16th ERGOMAS Biennial Conference "Dynamic armed forces in changing societies: Challenges for research in and on the military", Tartu, Estonia, 19-23 July 2021.
Kasearu, Kairi; Lillemäe, Eleri; Ben-Ari, Eyal (2021). Social Cohesion, Social Contracts and Military Covenants: Negotiated relations and solidarity in Estonia. In: 16th ERGOMAS Biennial Conference "Dynamic armed forces in changing societies: Challenges for research in and on the military", Tartu, Estonia, 19-23 July 2021.
Laanepere, T., Kasearu, K. (2021). Civilian and Military Status of Reserve Soldiers and Willingness to Participate in Military Service. In: 16th ERGOMAS Biennial Conference "Dynamic armed forces in changing societies: Challenges for research in and on the military", Tartu, Estonia, 19-23 July 2021.
Truusa, T.-T. (2021). The Entangled Gap. In: 16th ERGOMAS Biennial Conference "Dynamic armed forces in changing societies: Challenges for research in and on the military", Tartu, Estonia, 19-23 July 2021.
Lillemäe, Eleri (2021). Designing One’s Life Course – How to Fit Conscription? In: .15th ESA Conference "Sociological Knowledges for Alternative Futures", Barcelona (online), 31 Aug - 3 Sep 2021.

Janek Haar, rakenduskõrgharidus, 2021, Kairi Kasearu (juhendaja). Eesti- ja venekeelsete ajateenijate meeditarbimise seos väärinfo tuvastamisega.
Jesper Roon, bakalaureusekraad, 2021, Kaspar Kruup, Kairi Kasearu (juhendajad) Ajateenistusse astujate arusaamad infomõjutusest.
Helena Keskpalu, bakalaureusekraad, 2021, Kairi Kasearu (juhendaja). Ajateenijate kutsete vahelised erinevused ning nooremseersandiks saamise prognoos 2019. aasta kompleksuuringu andmetel.
Karl Must, bakalaureusekraad, 2021, Kairi Kasearu (juhendaja). Ajateenijate tegevteenistusse siirdumist kujundavad sotsiaalmajanduslikud tegurid.
Kristjan Silm, magistrikraad, 2021, Kairi Kasearu (juhendaja). Tegevteenijate narratiivid kaitseväeteenistusse astumisest.
Pauliine Nettan, magistrikraad (KVA), 2021, Antek Kasemaa, Eleri Lillemäe (juhendajad). Klassiga ajateenistuss asumine ja selle mõju ajateenistuse läbimisele.
Taavi Laanepere, doktorikraad, 2021, Kairi Kasearu (juhendaja). Looking at the Military Service Readiness of Estonian Reserve Soldiers through the Prism of Bourdieu's Theory of Practice.
Tiia-Triin Truusa, doktorikraad, 2022, Kairi Kasearu, Avo Trumm, Judit Strömpl (juhendajad). The entangled gap: the male Estonian citizen and the interconnections between civilian and military spheres in society.

Center of Excellence for Strategic Sustainability

Current projects

Completed in 2021

Publications

Presentations at international conferences

Student works