Redefining Local Self-Government: Finnish Municipalities Seeking Their Essence

Vakkala, Hanna; Jäntti, Anni; Sinervo, Lotta-Maria

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-56059-1_4

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finnish local governments play a strong role in the welfare state. They are the primary organisers of public services, their self-government is protected by constitutional law, and they have the right to levy taxes (Vakkala et al, 2021). Despite their relatively high level of autonomy, there is an imbalance between a heavy task load and inadequate financial resourcesa challenge for the exercise of self-government (J€ antti, 2016).…”

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Citizen participation as an organisational challenge in local government

Kurkela,

Kork,

Jäntti

et al. 2023

IJPSM

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeThis study observes the organisational environment of fostering citizen participation in the context of local government. Creating systems of influential citizen participation requires the consideration of organisational prerequisites. This study asks which organisational elements contribute to successful citizen participation in local government.Design/methodology/approachThe data consist of interviews with 14 key actors who work for the city of Helsinki. The interview content was subjected to abductive content analysis and reflected in the analytical framework based on previous literature on citizen participation. The analysis complements and adds insights to the existing literature.FindingsThis study illuminates three crucial elements of influential citizen participation: organisational structures, organisational culture and adequate resources. Additionally, the results revealed management to be a crucial enabling element. The findings highlight the importance of seeing citizen participation as an issue of governance and as a systemic part of the administration requiring intentional management efforts.Originality/valueThe study illustrates the key elements (structures, culture and resources) that should be considered when creating an influential citizen participation system. Additionally, the empirical analysis highlights the importance of management, which has been understudied in previous studies concerning citizen participation.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Citizen participation as an organisational challenge in local government

Kurkela,

Kork,

Jäntti

et al. 2023

IJPSM

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The reform transferred health, social, and rescue services from the municipalities to 21 counties. The impact of the reform goes to the very heart of the nature of municipalities, emphasizing their potential role in local community and economic development (Vakkala et al 2021). Although the more specific consequences remain unknown, the abolition of a number of tasks will, at least in principle, give municipalities more room to manoeuvre in local development, which will also have an impact on the role of municipalities in place-based rural development.…”

Section: Local Policy Environment For Place-based Rural Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relying on LEADER? A place-based policy approach to the rural development of Finnish municipalities

Mustakangas

2024

Fennia

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In Finnish rural development, the role of municipalities has proven to be modest, even though the place-based policy approach in principle gives them an important position. The main part of municipal rural development involves cooperation with LEADER groups, to which municipalities give priority. In this study I ask: What explains the current status of municipalities in place-based rural development, that is, the dominance of LEADER and the small scale of the municipalities' own rural development? The methodology is based on critical realism, and the analysis draws from semi-structured interviews conducted in three municipalities. The aforementioned state of local rural development is called demi-regularity, which is the starting point of the research. Using a thematic analysis developed by Tom Fryer for critical realist research, the study proposes three causal explanations for this observation, namely the idea of responsible local communities, the development policy of the shrinking municipality, and the challenges of projectification. According to the findings, the increased role of villages in rural development does not necessarily support the involvement of municipalities, but rather the opposite. The study also shows that when municipalities are primarily looking for (economic) growth, they have difficulties in trusting the potential of rural areas, let alone exploiting it. On the other hand, the challenges of projectification do not characterise LEADER projects in the same way as other municipal project work, making it tempting to rely on LEADER in municipal rural development. Overall, the study shows how strongly and differently LEADER is rooted in place-based rural development in Finland. In order to bring municipalities back into the scene, a broader discussion on the actual preconditions of municipalities in place-based rural development is needed.

show abstract

The Finnish Municipal CEO: A Strong Professional Leader in a Changing Political Environment

Sandberg

2024

Managing Nordic Local Governments

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The early institutionalization of the municipal chief executive officer (MCEO) in Finnish towns in 1927 has had long-standing repercussions for the power balance between politics and administration in Finnish local government. The tension between a strong appointed MCEO and a weaker political leadership has been a recurring theme in the Finnish debate. One key objective of the 1995 and 2015 reforms of the Local Government Act was to strengthen the role of political leadership vis-à-vis the MCEO. This chapter demonstrates that the position of the MCEO in the local politico–administrative system remains strong, despite the reform efforts and changes in the power relations between the MCEO and politicians.

show abstract

Redefining Local Self-Government: Finnish Municipalities Seeking Their Essence

Cited by 7 publications

References 8 publications

Citizen participation as an organisational challenge in local government

Citizen participation as an organisational challenge in local government

Relying on LEADER? A place-based policy approach to the rural development of Finnish municipalities

The Finnish Municipal CEO: A Strong Professional Leader in a Changing Political Environment

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About