Suchergebnisse

Tutkimuksen aiheena on kunta ja sen muutos. Tutkin sitä, minkälaisena kunta näyttäytyy sen tehtäväkenttää voimakkaasti rajaavan hallinnonuudistuksen kontekstissa, ja minkälaisia vaikutuksia tällaisella hallinnonuudistuksella on kuntiin. Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on lisätä ymmärrystä siitä, miten moniulotteisesta ja laajavaikutteisesta muutoksesta kunnan tehtäviä vähentävässä hallinnonuudistuksessa on kyse. Teen näkyväksi sen, minkälaisia merkityksiä kunnalle annetaan, minkälaisia laajempia yhteiskunnallisia vaikutuksia kuntamuutokseen liittyy, ja mistä kuntamuutoksessa itse asiassa on kyse. Tarkastelen kuntaa alati muuttuvana sosiaalisena konstruktiona. Fenomenologisen tutkimusotteen avulla teen näkyväksi kuntajohdon haastatteluista koostuvaa aineistoa analysoimalla, mistä puhumme, kun puhumme kunnasta. Tällä tavoin rekonstruoin kuntakäsitteen. Tutkimuksen käsitteellisinä lähtökohtina ovat kuntakäsitteen ulottuvuudet, hallinnonuudistusten sivuvaikutukset ja kunnan onttoutuminen analogiana valtion onttoutumisesta. Tutkin aihetta empiirisesti tapausesimerkin avulla, Kainuun hallintokokeilua tarkastelemalla. Kuntaan kohdistuvia vaikutuksia ovat haastatteluaineistoni analyysin perusteella organisatoris-toiminnalliset, johtamiseen liittyvät ja kuntakäsitysten muutokset. Muutospuhuntaa värittää läpileikkaavasti ristiriitaisuus. Grounded theory -menetelmää soveltaen olen muodostanut empirialähtöisen teorian kunnasta. Olen määritellyt neljä kunnan olemusta kuvaavaa perustehtävää: demokratiatehtävä, taloustehtävä, yhteisötehtävä ja hyvinvointitehtävä. Näitä tehtäviä yhdistää, niistä ammentaa ja niitä samanaikaisesti ruokkii määrittelemäni kunnan ydintehtävä, raison d´être, jonka mukaisesti kunta on elämisen edellytyksiä luova itsehallinnollinen paikallisyhteisö. Perustehtävät painottuvat eri tavoin eri kunnissa ja niiden painotukset vaihtelevat eri aikoina myös yksittäisen kunnan sisällä. Kunta voi siis olla kunta monella eri tavalla säilyttäen kuitenkin perusolemuksensa. Tutkimukseni perusteella kunnan tehtäväkentän rajaaminen näyttäytyy eri tavoin eri kunnissa. Tehtävien väheneminen itsessään ei horjuta kunnan asemaa ja merkitystä instituutiona. Muutoksen kokemisessa olennaista on kuntajohdon käsitys kunnasta. Palvelutehtävään nojaavissa kunnissa muutos näyttää vaikeammalta, kun taas sellaisissa kunnissa, joissa kunta nähdään moniulotteisempana kokonaisuutena, muutos näyttäytyy helpompana. Palvelukuntakäsitykseen perustuva näkemys kunnasta saa muutoksen näyttämään lopun alulta. Monipuolisempi kuntakäsitys auttaa näkemään muutoksessa uuden alun, jossa kunta on mahdollista keksiä uudelleen. Kunta ei sen tehtävien vähenemisen myötä onttoudu. Sen sijaan muutos paljastaa palvelukuntakäsityksen onttouden, jossa valtion kunnille määräämiin palvelutehtäviin keskittyneen kunnan idea on kadonnut vuosikymmeniä kasvaneen palvelukuorman alle. Tutkimukseni perusteella kuntamuutos näyttäytyy kumulatiivisena prosessina, jossa ei ole selväpiirteistä alkua eikä loppua, vaan jossa erilaiset sykäykset laittavat liikkeelle uusia muutosvoimia, jotka johtavat uusiin muutoksiin. Muutosten suunta vaihtelee eri kunnissa, mikä lisää kuntien erilaistumista. Kunnan olemassaolo näyttäytyy alati muuttuvana jatkumona, jossa kuntaa jatkuvasti rekonstruoidaan, ja jossa kuitenkin on eräitä kiinteästi mukana kulkevia peruselementtejä, jotka jäsentävät kuntana olemista. Hallinnonuudistuksen myötä kuntiin kohdistunut muutos on avannut mahdollisuuden tehdä näkyväksi kunnan olemuksen eri ulottuvuuksia ja kuntana olemisen monia tapoja. Kuntien erilaisuus ja kiihtyvä erilaistuminen haastaa vuosikymmeniä kuntia koskevaa lainsäädäntöä ohjanneen käsityksen kunnista geneerisenä, homogeenisena joukkona. Tämä ajattelutavan muutos vaikuttaa niin paikallistasolla, valtion kuntapolitiikkaan kuin kuntatutkimukseen. Kunta pakenee yhteen muottiin pakottavaa yhtenäiskunta-ajattelua, ja esiin tulevat monet rinnakkaiset kuntatodellisuudet. ; Local government, change and the change of local government This research concerns the change of local government. I focus on the question, how local government appears in a context of administrative reform that reduces the tasks of local government. I also study what kinds of effects the reform has on local government. The aim of this research is to increase understanding about the multidimensionality and the extension of this kind of reform. The research is em-pirical focusing on one case, the regional self-government experiment in Kainuu region, Finland. In my empirical case study research I show what meanings local government is given to, what kinds of broader societal effects the change of local government is connected to and what the change of local government as a whole is about. I consider local government as a constantly changing social construction. By using phenomenological research setting and by analyzing the interview data, I demonstrate what we talk about when talking about local government. By doing this I reconstruct the concept of local government. The conceptual basis of this research is based on the concept of local government, the side-effects of adminis-trative reforms and hollowing out of the local government as an analogy of hollow-ing out of the state. As a result of my grounded theory based analysis I have built an empirically based theory of local government. I examine the effects of the reform that are re-lated to local government and the meanings that local government is given to in the reform context. The local government related effects are 1) organizational and functional effects, 2) effects related to management and 3) the changes in local government conceptions. The rhetoric about change is contradictory when it comes to change, constancy and the nature of change. In my research I have also defined four main tasks for local government based on the data. These tasks are 1) democracy task, 2) economy task, 3) community task and 4) well-being task. These tasks are combined by the core task, raison d´être, of local government that ac-cording to my definition is as follows: local government is a local self-governmental community creating prerequisites for living. The basic tasks are em-phasized differently in different municipalities and the emphasis varies over time also in single municipalities. Local government can, thus, be local government in various ways still maintaining its basic essence. My research indicates that reducing local government tasks affect differently in different municipalities. Task reduction as such does not destabilize the status and meaning of local government. The way local government leaders understand local government seems to be essential when figuring out how the change is experienced. The change seems to be more difficult in municipalities that lean on the service task while the change seems to be easier in municipalities where local government is seen as a more multidimensional unity. Grounding the local government conception on the service task makes the change appear as the beginning of the end while the more versatile conception helps in seeing a new beginning in the change where it is possible to re-invent local government. Thus, local government will not hollow out due to the task reduction but the change reveals the hollowness of service municipality conception. Instead, it seems that the idea of local government has been lost during the decades when the state has given constantly new tasks to the local level. In the light of my research the change of local government appears as a cumulative process with no clear beginning nor clear end, as a process in which various pulses cause new drivers that lead to new changes. The direction of change varies in different municipalities which increases the differentiation of municipalities. The change fosters change so that the existence of local government can be seen as a constantly changing continuum where local government is continuously reconstructed and where are some firm basic elements that structure the existence of local government. The change that the reform has brought up has opened up the chance to make visible the various dimensions of the essence of local government and the various ways of how local government can exist. The difference and differentiation of municipalities challenge the conception of local government as a generic, homogenous group, the conception that has for decades steered the legislation concerning Finnish local government. This change of mindset will have effects not only on the local level but also on the national policy and research concerning local govern-ment. Local government cannot be categorized in one, single unitary form, but instead, various parallel local government realities emerge.

In this study, we scrutinise how municipalities can enhance citizen participation as arenas for local democracy. We combine the aspects of institutional structures with citizens' expectations and viewpoints by analysing citizens' views on the barriers to and catalysts for participation. We outline the possibilities and map the role of municipalities in enhancing citizen participation. This qualitative study utilises empirical data consisting of 160 essays written by university students. In their essays, students reflect on their roles as participants and think about possible obstacles to participation. The data is analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis. In the analysis, three categories were identified to illustrate and interpret the societal, personal and instrumental-processual factors that affect citizens' willingness and abilities to participate at the local level. Municipalities can easily address the instrumental-processual factors, whereas affecting societal and personal factors is more difficult. The role of municipalities in enhancing citizen participation is thus restricted, yet important.

In this study, we scrutinise how municipalities can enhance citizen participation as arenas for local democracy. We combine the aspects of institutional structures with citizens' expectations and viewpoints by analysing citizens' views on the barriers to and catalysts for participation. We outline the possibilities and map the role of municipalities in enhancing citizen participation. This qualitative study utilises empirical data consisting of 160 essays written by university students. In their essays, students reflect on their roles as participants and think about possible obstacles to participation. The data is analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis. In the analysis, three categories were identified to illustrate and interpret the societal, personal and instrumental-processual factors that affect citizens' willingness and abilities to participate at the local level. Municipalities can easily address the instrumental-processual factors, whereas affecting societal and personal factors is more difficult. The role of municipalities in enhancing citizen participation is thus restricted, yet important. ; publishedVersion ; Peer reviewed

In this study, we scrutinise how municipalities can enhance citizen participation as arenas for local democracy. We combine the aspects of institutional structures with citizens' expectations and viewpoints by analysing citizens' views on the barriers to and catalysts for participation. We outline the possibilities and map the role of municipalities in enhancing citizen participation. This qualitative study utilises empirical data consisting of 160 essays written by university students. In their essays, students reflect on their roles as participants and think about possible obstacles to participation. The data is analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis. In the analysis, three categories were identified to illustrate and interpret the societal, personal and instrumental-processual factors that affect citizens' willingness and abilities to participate at the local level. Municipalities can easily address the instrumental-processual factors, whereas affecting societal and personal factors is more difficult. The role of municipalities in enhancing citizen participation is thus restricted, yet important.

"Mayor or Manager – Why Changing the Management Model is under Discussion in Municipalities?"
The aim of this study is to produce new knowledge on why municipalities consider changing their management model and what contexts and issues lead to such considerations. Based on previous research we comprise a synthesis about the factors that bring about the need for changing the management model. We use it as an analytical tool in analysing our empirical qualitative data, which consists of Finnish news articles. Our findings strengthen and complement the previous research: the changing operational environment and dissatisfaction with management and distribution of power are the key issues that bring up considerations for changing the management model. Our empirical data analysis comprehends previous research by revealing new factors, the growing demands for local politicians and practical reasons, that may lead to changes in the management model.
Keywords: mayor, manager, management model, municipalities, Finland

Pormestarimalliin kohdistuva kiinnostus on Suomessa kasvanut maltillisesti viime vuosina. Tässä artikkelissa on tarkasteltu niitä aiemmassa tutkimuksessa ja suomalaisessa julkisessa keskustelussa esiintyviä argumentteja, joilla pormestari- ja virkajohtajamalleja perustellaan ja vastustetaan. Artikkeli tuottaa uutta tietoa pormestarimalliin liitetyistä tavoitteista, odotuksista ja uskomuksista. Tutkimuksen empiirinen aineisto koottiin pormestarimallia koskevasta internetistä kerätystä media-aineistosta. Aineisto analysoitiin teorialähtöisesti rakennetun analyysikehikon ohjaamana keskittyen johtamisen ammattimaisuuteen, poliittisen johtamisen vahvistamiseen, demokratian edistämiseen sekä johtamisen selkeyteen liittyviin argumentteihin. Analyysin tuloksena tunnistettiin neljä väittämäparia, jotka tiivistävät pormestarimalliin liittyviä uskomuksia, odotuksia ja tavoitteita. 1) Pormestarimallin uskotaan vahvistavan demokratiaa, mutta keskittävän valtaa. 2) Poliittisen johtamisen uskotaan vahvistuvan, mutta johtamisen epäammattimaistuvan. 3) Pormes- tarimallin avulla uskotaan voitavan murtaa status quo, ja samalla johtamisen aikajänteen arvellaan lyhenevän. 4) Pormestarimallin uskotaan parantavan kunnan ja kuntalaisten välistä suhdetta ja selkeyttävän poliittisen ja virkajohdon välistä suhdetta. Kokonaisuutena tarkastellen pormestarimalliin liitettävät uskomukset, odotukset ja tavoitteet ovat varsin epämääräisiä ja abstrakteja. Pormestarimallilla uskotaan päästävän perustavanlaatuiseen ja kokonaisvaltaiseen kuntajohtamisen muutokseen, jossa muutoksen kohteena ei ole pelkästään kunnan johtohahmo, vaan laajemmin kuntajohtamisen rytmi, suunta ja perusta.

Creating new government levels through structural reforms also changes the settings of institutional participation. In this article, institutional participation is scrutinized as a question of legitimacy in changing the local government by focusing on the effects of creating regional self-government. To investigate this question, this article utilizes a triangulation of data and methods through statistics, a survey, and interviews. By considering many viewpoints, it is possible to create a general view of the diverse interpretations of the question. The study shows that structural reforms not only change the structures of participation but also require organizational "sponginess" for citizen involvement in order to create a new, legitimate government level.

This article examines the deliberate and unintended effects of the Kainuu Regional Experiment, a regional reform where some important local government tasks were rescaled to the regional level. The analysis is based on the empirical results of a long-running evaluation study.
In Kainuu, the new regional government was successful in securing the quality and availability of welfare services, but in the task of regional development ‒ creating new growth and development ‒ its role has been practically secondary, and in some cases the new regional government has been marginalised by the tensions built into it during the rescaling process. The Kainuu experiment exemplifies a case of rescaling where some (political) tensions between two perspectives/factors, service and development, were rescaled together with local government functions, reflecting the reformer's problem that it is extremely difficult to achieve many different outcomes with one governance expedient. Altering the scale of governance has consequences for political decision-making, power structures, institutions, and citizens. Rescaling through a restructuring of hierarchy may produce different outcomes in different activities, and the coercive character of the tool can both create unexpected tensions and undermine network activity.

This article examines the deliberate and unintended effects of the Kainuu Regional Experiment, a regional reform where some important local government tasks were rescaled to the regional level. The analysis is based on the empirical results of a long-running evaluation study. In Kainuu, the new regional government was successful in securing the quality and availability of welfare services, but in the task of regional development ‒ creating new growth and development ‒ its role has been practically secondary, and in some cases the new regional government has been marginalised by the tensions built into it during the rescaling process. The Kainuu experiment exemplifies a case of rescaling where some (political) tensions between two perspectives/factors, service and development, were rescaled together with local government functions, reflecting the reformer's problem that it is extremely difficult to achieve many different outcomes with one governance expedient. Altering the scale of governance has consequences for political decision-making, power structures, institutions, and citizens. Rescaling through a restructuring of hierarchy may produce different outcomes in different activities, and the coercive character of the tool can both create unexpected tensions and undermine network activity.

This chapter describes how Finnish legislation follows the articles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. In general, even though local self-government in Finland is constitutionally and legally protected, it is highly state-dependent and restricted in many ways. The current government reform challenges local self-government by establishing a new regional level of governance, altering the Finnish local government system. The burden of public services exposes local government for reforming, which has affected the relationship between central and local governments. In Finland, to follow and implement the principles of the Charter, the biggest challenges are with the municipalities' wide responsibilities, financial constraints, and strong state steering. This chapter illustrates how the role of local government as a service provider has led to a situation where municipalities are strictly steered by and financially dependent on the national government. ; publishedVersion ; Peer reviewed

This chapter describes how Finnish legislation follows the articles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. In general, even though localself-government in Finland is constitutionally and legally protected, it is highly state-dependent and restricted in many ways. The current government reform challenges local self-government by establishing a new regional level of governance, altering the Finnish local government system. The burden of public services exposes local government for reforming, which has affected the relationship between central and local governments. In Finland, to follow and implement the principles of the Charter, the biggest challenges are with the municipalities' wide responsibilities, financial constraints, and strong state steering. This chapter illustrates how the role of local government as a service provider has led to a situation where municipalities are strictly steered by and financially dependent on the national government.

Local executive leaders' decisions reflecting public governance paradigms and local governance
In this article, we scrutinize how local executive leaders' decisions as part of local governance and management eventually illustrate the prevailing governance paradigms. The article builds on extant literature on the development of governance paradigms and their impact on local governance and management. The empirical qualitative document analysis explores executive leaders' decision-making themes and their emphasis in the city of Helsinki in two different periods of time. The results show a clear shift in the emphasis of themes, revealing different management priorities that reflect different kinds of governance paradigms. Our research shows that the content of local executive leaders' decisions reveals what is considered important in local governance and how these valuations become concrete through the emphasis of certain governance relations and management practices.

In this article, we focus on the challenges for local self-government in Finland. Finnish legislation follows the Articles of the European Charter of Local self-government rather closely. We illustrate how the role of local government as service provider has led to a situation where municipalities are strictly steered by and financially dependent on the national government. Besides this, the burden of public services exposes local government to reforms. Current local government reform by national government challenges local self-government by establishing a regional level of governance. However, it can also bring opportunities for municipalities to focus more on local tasks and decrease the need for strict steering by the state.

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.