Several major market failures are hindering renewable energy production. Probably the most significant one of these are negative externalities. Another issue hindering renewable energy production is low technological and commercial maturity. These technologies might not become commercially viable in the near future without state intervention. This study aims to analyse Finnish energy policy based on current legislation related to renewable energy production and budget policy related to renewable-energy subsidies. This study shows that the polluter-pays principle is implemented quite well in Finland due to the emissions trading scheme and taxation. Still, this principle is not entirely implemented in electricity production as electricity tax is not based on the carbon intensity of the fuel used, but rather on who uses the electricity. National subsidy policies focus on a short-term increase in renewable energy production as most subsidies are production subsidies granted through a bidding process, making these subsidy policies partly technology-neutral. These policies do not take into account long-term needs for energy policy as much as they could.

The achievement of a radical global reduction of greenhouse gases requires a legalinstitutional setting capable of facilitating such a transition on a wide range of renewable technologies. This paper identifies and critically evaluates the key institutional, procedural and substantive legal mechanisms facilitating or preventing sustainable production of blue renewable energy with Finland as a case study country. The focus is on offshore wind power and hydropower. While we approach energy transition from the perspective of an EU member state, we simultaneously shed light on the relevant parts of the EU legal framework that significantly affect national legal frameworks.

Changes in regulation trigger changes in the innovation environments. They may block specific development trajectories, but they may simultaneously inspire and stimulate completely new openings. In this study, we look into regulation that aims to address environmental problems and facilitate creation and diffusion of sustainable technologies and processes as we examine the responses of innovators to the regulation on plastic use and production—specifically, the so-called SUP-directive. A multiple-case study comprising six companies suggests that companies manage (with) the regulation-induced innovation and needs for change by adopting three distinctive strategies: (1) proactive change orientation, (2) reactive opportunity capturing, or (3) reactive survival mode. Acknowledging that sustainability-oriented regulation may push companies with environmentally friendly innovation activities and solutions towards reactive survival mode highlights the need for managerial agility in adjusting the solutions and the ability to adopt parallel innovation strategies. Observing the strategies adopted by innovators also is informative when evaluating whether the regulation meets its profound goals and intended effects.

Changes in regulation trigger changes in the innovation environments. They may block specific development trajectories, but they may simultaneously inspire and stimulate completely new openings. In this study, we look into regulation that aims to address environmental problems and facilitate creation and diffusion of sustainable technologies and processes as we examine the responses of innovators to the regulation on plastic use and production -specifically, the so-called SUP-directive. A multiple-case study comprising six companies suggests that companies manage (with) the regulation-induced innovation and needs for change by adopting three distinctive strategies: 1) proactive change orientation, 2) reactive opportunity capturing, or 3) reactive survival mode. Acknowledging that sustainabilityoriented regulation may push companies with environmentally friendly innovation activities and solutions towards reactive survival mode highlights the need for managerial agility in adjusting the solutions and the ability to adopt parallel innovation strategies. Observing the strategies adopted by innovators also is informative when evaluating whether the regulation meets its profound goals and intended effects.

his article studies misconducts and neglects detected by auditors in Finnish municipalities in years 2017-2019. This article uses auditor’s reports to evaluate how common these misconducts and neglects are in Finland. The study is conducted by collecting all auditor’s reports in municipalities in mainland Finland from years 2017–2019 and analysing whether the auditor’s reports are unmodified or modified and if they were modified, why they were modified. This study concludes that 20 % of Finnish municipalities neglect their public economy or administration duties every year. These neglects are most common when requirements are related to the principal-agent problem in cases where the municipality should monitor their employees or electeds. These neglects and misconducts are, however, not quite severe. Severe cases were extremely rare in the reports.