Finnish local government has been subjected to many reforms in the last few decades. The reforms will continue in the near future as health, social services and regional government are being reformed. Structural reforms and numerous projects have not altered the fact that concrete procedures still change slowly in local governments. This article deals with reforms in local government. It focuses on determining the kind of information and expertise used in the reforms and the expertise required. The research is empirical and focuses on one particular case: preparation of the multi-municipal merger of Oulu region. Research on reforms of local governments, studied from the viewpoints of information and expertise, reveals that traditional public administration structures still have an impact on reform work. Even though steps towards New Public Governance procedures have been taken, reform processes remain strongly based on the information and expertise of the local government organization. Cooperation with different sector actors (the private and third sectors, universities, citizens) takes place from the viewpoint of the local government. The expertise of stakeholders is not at the core of reform processes. Reform processes are based mainly on the existing information and practices. There is much less innovation and less creation and application of new information. The expertise needed in local government reform is diverse. The reform processes have great need for the skills that are typical of network and generative leadership. A successful reform results from the work of a couple of key actors who have the skills to create frameworks for the existence and exploitation of collective expertise.
The book called "Inhimillinen ja tehokas sosiaali- ja terveysjohtaminen"(Humane and effective social- and health management) gathers together vital debate on social and health management and its needs both in current and future organisations. The perspectives presented in the book are networks, structures, interaction, professional expertise, couture of knowledge, meaningfulness of work, competence, diversity and experience. The book is edited by Antti Syväjärvi and Ville Pietiläinen. - Kirja haastaa pohtimaan sosiaali- ja terveysjohtamisen ajankohtaisia kysymyksiä, jotka asemoituvat toimialan uudistumiseen ja etenkin toimialan organisaatioiden johtamiseen. Teos käsittelee johtamiseen liittyviä uudistustarpeita, mutta myös johtamiseen linkittyviä teemoja kuten verkostoja, rakenteita, vuorovaikutusta, ammatillista asiantuntijuutta, tietokulttuuria, työn mielekkyyttä, kyvykkyyttä, monimuotoisuutta ja kokemuksellisuutta. Inhimillisesti tehokasta sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollon johtamista pidetään helposti ristiriitaisena, koska inhimillinen ja tehokas koetaan usein toisilleen vastakkaisiksi ulottuvuuksiksi. Molemmille on kuitenkin nähtävissä synkroninen tilaus kehittyvässä sosiaali- ja terveydenhuollossa. Teoksessa tarjotaan oivalluksia, kuinka inhimillisyys ja tehokkuus voidaan samanaikaisesti huomioida sosiaali- ja terveysjohtamisessa. Kirja sopii sosiaali- ja terveysalan johtajille, johtajaksi hakeutuville tai johtamista opiskeleville. Kirja koostuu mielenkiintoisista luvuista, joita ovat kirjoittaneet alan tutkijat eri tutkimuslaitoksista painottaen myös käytännön antia johtamiselle. Kirja on syntynyt Työsuojelurahaston, Lapin ja Pohjois-Pohjanmaan sairaanhoitopiirien rahoittamassa tutkimuksessa.
Tourism must be planned and developed differently from what is customary today, as growth in rigid economic terms is still prioritised over the cultural and socioecological sustainability of lived-in cultural and natural environments. The global ecological crisis can no longer be ignored by tourism developers and investors – or by tourists. The seventeen authors of this book are from a variety of disciplines and fields of expertise. Through research-driven and profession based knowledge on different aspects of tourism planning in Finland and elsewhere, they offer transformative perspectives and practical applications for responsible tourism planners, investors and political decision-makers to utilise. Through the book's overarching themes – learnings from the history of tourism planning, wellbeing, participation, building and architecture, people and infrastructure – it addresses a general audience, professional communities, and academic communities. The book's urgent quest is to prevent tourism from remaining one of the causes for the greatest problem of all time, the worsening baseline of living conditions on Earth.
This book presents an in-depth, systematic investigation of the reporting of poverty in Wales, discussing findings from a two-year research project funded by the 'Exploring the Narrative Coalition' (a group of 10 Wales-based third sector organisations), the ESRC, and Cardiff University. Examining how poverty news is covered in the English and Welsh languages across broadcast, print and online news, it provides a detailed insight into current journalistic and communications practices on a crucial issue facing Wales. In the wake of a decade of austerity policies, with official measures confirming experiences of poverty and destitution are increasing, the book offers a timely intervention, critically investigating mainstream media narratives on poverty and how these are shaped. The book is based on original research conducted in 2016-7, in a highly eventful period that included the Tata Steel crisis in Port Talbot, South Wales, the Welsh Government elections and the referendum campaign on the UK's membership of the European Union. It addresses how poverty was framed in such nationally significant news about politics, business and economics, as well as more local, personal or community-focused stories about livelihoods and social issues. A quantitative analysis of the key characteristics of coverage across different media types provides a detailed evidence base for understanding how poverty news was represented. This includes examining the major contextualizing themes, social groups and geographical locations most frequently covered, the causes and consequences of poverty, and sourcing. It demonstrates how Wales-based media coverage differs from more negative reporting typical of some sections of the UK national press, especially in terms of stigmatizing discourses surrounding unemployment and welfare. However, important questions are identified about how news narratives convey meaning and, especially, disconnections between the coverage of macro-economic trends or events and their consequences in the lives of ordinary people. Additionally, the book explores why poverty news coverage is constructed in the way that it is, using findings from detailed interviews with journalists and editors about their practice. Through the lens of professional values and experiences, the book examines the challenges thought to affect poverty reporting. Key issues include the contraction of resources and specialist expertise allocated to social affairs journalism, the difficulties of identifying and reaching potentially vulnerable groups across Wales and representing case studies fairly and ethically. A parallel set of interviews conducted with third sector professionals about their engagement with news media and communications practices provides a further insight into the production of poverty news. Here, the pressures in reporting poverty are seen from a different perspective, where seeking to influence the coverage of poverty and respond to news demands can elicit professional tensions between journalists and the third sector and/or productive cooperative relationships positively impacting news narratives. In providing a detailed picture of how and why poverty news narratives are shaped as they are, the book aims to provide an evidence base informing more meaningful, representative and accurate poverty reporting in Wales.
This book presents a detailed and systematic investigation of poverty reporting in Wales, discussing the findings of a two-year research project funded by Exploring the Narrative Coalition (a group of 10 third sector organizations based in Wales ESRC and Cardiff University Exploring how poverty news is covered by broadcast, print and online news in English and Welsh, provides a detailed understanding of current journalism and communication practices on a critical issue. facing Wales. Following a decade of austerity policies, with official measures confirming that experiences of poverty and deprivation are on the rise, the book offers a timely intervention, critically exploring the mainstream media's narratives on poverty and how they experience it shape them. This book is based on original research conducted between 2016-7, during a turbulent period involving the Tata Steel crisis in Port Talbot. South Wales, Welsh Government elections and a referendum campaign for the UK's membership of the European Union. It covers how poverty was framed in the midst of nationally important news about politics, business and the economy as well as more local, personal or community-related stories about livelihoods and social issues. Quantitative analysis of the key features of the approaches across different media types provides a detailed evidence base for understanding how poverty news was represented. This includes looking at the major contextualization themes, social groups and geographical locations that are commonly addressed, the causes and consequences of poverty, and access to information. It demonstrates how the media in Wales responds differently to the more negative reports typical of some UK national press departments, particularly around discourses that cause unemployment and welfare stigma. Nevertheless, there are important questions to be raised about how news narratives convey meaning and in particular the disconnect between the coverage of macroeconomic trends or events and their impact on the lives of ordinary people. In addition, the book explores why coverage of poverty news is shaped as it is, drawing on the findings of in-depth interviews with journalists and editors about their practices. Through a look at professional values and experiences, the book explores the challenges that are likely to affect reporting poverty. Key issues include the use of specialist resources and expertise allocated to social issues journalism, the difficulties in identifying and potentially reaching vulnerable groups across Wales and representing case studies fairly and ethically. We undertook a set of interviews with third sector professionals about their engagement with news media practices and contacts. They offer more information on how news about poverty is shaped. Here, the pressures of reporting poverty are viewed from a different perspective, where trying to influence poverty coverage in the press and responding to news demands can create professional tensions between journalists and the third sector and / or positive productive co-operative relationships that affect news narratives. By providing a detailed picture of how and why poverty news narratives are shaped as they are, the book intends to create an evidence base that will inform more accurate, representative and meaningful reporting of poverty in Wales.
Kansalaisosallistuminen YVA-menettelyssä Ympäristövaikutusten arviointimenettelyn (YVA) yksi keskeinen tavoite on lisätä kansalaisten tiedonsaantia ja osallistumista ympäristövaikutuksiltaan merkittävissä hankkeissa. YVA-menettelyllä pyritään tuomaan kansalaisten näkemykset, huolet ja toiveet mukaan suunnitteluun ja päätöksentekoon mahdollisimman varhaisessa vaiheessa. YVA edustaa väitöstutkimuksessa modernia vuorovaikutteista ympäristöpolitiikan ohjauskeinoa ja osallistumisen välinettä. Väitöstyön ensimmäisenä tutkimustehtävänä oli luoda YVAan osallistumisen analyysille teoreettinen viitekehys: millaista demokratia- ja suunnitteluideaa YVA voi edustaa ja millainen politiikkaverkosto YVA on kansalaisosallistumisen kannalta. Toisena tutkimustehtävänä analysoitiin YVAan osallistumisen historiallista kehittymistä ja muutoksia Suomessa. Kolmantena tutkimustehtävänä tarkasteltiin osallistumisen käytännön toteutusta sekä arvioitiin osallistumisen vaikuttavuutta. Lisäksi analysoitiin vaikuttavuuden mahdollisia esteitä, miten läpinäkyviä ja avoimia YVA-menettelyt ovat ja miten hyväksyttävänä osallistumisvälineenä YVAa pidetään. Osallistumisen kannalta olennainen seikka on YVAn institutionaalisuus: se on julkishallinnon luoma väline, jonka lisäksi toimenharjoittajalla on keskeinen YVA-menettelyn käytännön toteuttajan rooli. Tämä luo osallistumisen kannalta rakenteita, joissa korostuu toimijoiden väliset epäsymmetriset valta-asemat. YVA-menettelystä tulee helposti kaikille osapuolille vallan käytön ja politiikan tekemisen väline ja niin osallistumisen järjestämistä kuin itse osallistumista ohjaavat toimijoiden poliittiset intressit ja tavoitteet. YVA on parhaimmillaan eri osapuolten välinen avoin keskusteluareena, joka lisää suunnittelun ja päätöksenteon läpinäkyvyyttä, mutta YVA on myös poliittisen kamppailun areena. Suomen YVA-lainsäädännössä osallistumisella on aina ollut tärkeä rooli. Suomalaisessa YVA-järjestelmässä on korostettu kansalaisten osallistumismahdollisuuksia. Ajan saatossa myös kriittisyys laajaa osallistumisoikeutta ja useita osallistumismahdollisuuksia kohtaan on lieventynyt. Haaste on kuitenkin siinä, että osallistumisen toteutus määritellään laissa väljästi, eikä lainsäädäntö takaa laadukasta osallistumista tai varsinkaan sen vaikuttavuutta. Toinen havaittu haaste on YVAn ja osallistumisen suhde päätöksentekoon. YVAn ulkopuoliset päätöksentekojärjestelmät ja edustuksellisen vallankäytön rakenteet eivät ole muuttuneet, ja siksi YVAn vaikuttavuus voi jäädä vähäiseksi. Vaikka YVA edustaisikin osallistuvaa demokratiaa ja toteuttaisi vuorovaikutteista ja moniäänistä suunnittelua, voi osallistumisen merkitys vesittyä ja kansalaisten osallistumisaktiivisuus hiipua. Ilmiöön liittyy myös tarpeetonta kriittisyyttä. Osallistumisen vaikuttavuus ei ole kertaluonteista, vaan se on usein välillistä ja ajoittuu prosessin eri vaiheisiin. Osallistumisen merkitystä ja vaikutuksia ei aina tunnisteta. YVAsta ei ole muodostunut Suomessa laajojen joukkojen osallistumisvälinettä. Ennemminkin YVAan osallistuvat tyypillisesti harvat kansalaisaktiivit, jotka hyödyntävät YVAn lisäksi lukuisia muitakin osallistumisen ja vaikuttamisen keinoja. Osallistujien määrän sijaan huomio tulee kuitenkin kiinnittää sisältöön ja suunnittelun moniäänisyyteen. Olennainen kysymys on se, millaisen roolin kansalaiset ja maallikkoasiantuntijuus voivat saada perinteisesti asiantuntijavetoisessa suunnittelukulttuurissa. ; Public participation in environmental impact assessment Environmental impact assessment (EIA) is a policy instrument based in law and used to prevent harmful environmental impacts, increase public information access, and improve public participation opportunities. EIA is an open process for discussion and participation of different actors: it increases the transparency and broadens the information base of environmental policy planning and decision making. One aim of EIA is to incorporate citizens views and opinions, concerns and desires into planning at an early stage. EIA is a process of identifying and evaluating potential impacts from proposed activities. It is also an interactive and communicative policy instrument and should facilitate direct participation. EIA is an example in the development process of direct participation in Finland during 1990 s. In this study EIA is approached as a participation instrument. Public participation is the perspective from which the EIA-process is analysed. The aim of the research is to examine participation in EIA both a theoretical and empirical way, and to interpret and explain the operation logic and efficacy of participation. There are three main research tasks in the study. The first task is to create a theoretical framework for analysis of public participation in EIA. For this purpose, the theoretical and methodological triangulation is made in the study. There are four main parts in the triangulation. Firstly, the elements of participative and deliberative democracy and communicative planning theories are combined. This theoretical discussion shows what kind of democracy and planning EIA can represents. Secondly, network analysis and evaluation are integrated in the methodological triangulation. The concepts of policy networks and intervention theory are used in theoretical and methodological manner. The outcomes of theoretical and methodological triangulation are criteria of deliberative EIA and four policy network models of EIA as an instrument of public participation: 1) EIA as a negotiation process; 2) EIA as a technical process of information collection, 3) EIA as an information instrument; and 4) EIA as tool for controlling of participation. While the theoretical part of the thesis has its own analytical objectives, these policy network models are utilized with evaluation criteria in the empirical part of the study. The second research task is to analyse the historical development of participation in Finnish EIA legislation. The focus of this part is on the long lasting political process and arguments behind the enacting of Finnish EIA Act in 1980 s and 1990 s. The most important amendments of EIA legislation and the international and national reasons behind them are also considered. According to results of this part of thesis, the role of participation has been central to the Finnish EIA system. Even if the EIA Act was implemented in Finland relatively late in 1994, the legislative foundation for public participation has always been strong. Though the implementation of participation is defined in a flexible way, Finnish EIA legislation supports public participation and in principle creates possibilities for deliberative democracy. The third research task is to evaluate public participation in two case studies. This part includes following questions: 1) what kind of objectives do different actors seek from participation; 2) how does participation impact EIA and what are the obstacles of effective participation; and 3) how transparent and acceptable is the EIA process? The two cases used, the EIA of a road project and the final disposal of nuclear waste, show how much the aims, the implementation and the effectiveness of public participation can not only vary between different projects, but also during the planning process in one certain project. Notably, in the nuclear waste case, the nature of top-down instrument of EIA was clearly observed, while the developer of the project assumed a dominant role. The three elements of policy network (actors, arenas and agenda) were defined by the developer. Even if participation was carried out with great visibility, professional implementation and sufficient resources, the impact of public participation and lay people expertise was not so essential, while the economic and political interests of the project and the role of experts were in central role. In this case study EIA represents the policy network model of controlling of participation: the role of governance was more important than deliberative participation. In the road case the planning situation was more open. There did not seem to be the same need to define and control participation and the agenda of the EIA. The contribution of citizens was used in planning in a more effective manner. The EIA assumed a more traditional role as an information distribution tool, and as a place for open discussion and effective participation. The case studies suggest that the legislative base can not alone guarantee the effectiveness of public participation. Most important factor is the attitude of main actors. Each EIA process is unique and general theories of participation in EIA are difficult to create. In practice, the EIA is more or less an institutional process of power division between different actors, and the developer has the central role. EIA is an open arena that allows political disagreements to form and emerge into the open. However, EIA can also be used to promote political interests. EIA and participation can be harnessed by the proponent, but EIA can also feed the so called NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) phenomenon. It is also possible, that policy instruments like EIA create a new elite active lay experts. Theoretical ideas of deliberative democracy or communicative planning are challenging to implement in practice. At the same time it is important to estimate the criteria and expectations concerning participation. One can see, that EIA has lot of deliberative potential, but the main challenges are in the relationship between EIA and decision making, and in the structures of political power and decision making outside of EIA.
