Development In Finland Research Articles

Assessing space use by pre-breeding white-tailed eagles in the context of wind-energy development in Finland

The expansion of wind energy over large areas may be accompanied by major conflicts with birds, including birds of prey. Hence, it is desirable that the space use of species known to be vulnerable to wind energy be assessed in light of current and future developments. Here, we report on the large-scale dispersal movements of pre-breeding white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla) in Finland, where a currently modest wind-energy capacity is expected to increase in the near future. We studied white-tailed eagle space use with a particular focus on the potential for annual power production (GWh) at specific locations, as estimated by the Finnish Wind Atlas. Also, we aimed to detect a potential human-wildlife conflict by assessing white-tailed eagle space use against the spatial distribution of existing and recently proposed wind farms. We found that, despite visiting a large proportion of the country, the eagles stayed primarily within coastal areas and islands, restricted to where human infrastructure was present only at very small amounts. Because of the distribution of wind resources, such areas were found to contain considerable potential for power production. The eagles visited most of the areas targeted for wind-energy development. However, these areas did not coincide with a higher-than-average eagle relocation frequency, suggesting that the existing and recently proposed wind farms do not represent an elevated threat to dispersing eagles. Caution should nevertheless be taken against interpreting that co-occurrence poses no threat at any given site, as site selection is paramount to avoid conflicts with avian conservation.

Forest sector circular economy development in Finland: A regional study on sustainability driven competitive advantage and an assessment of the potential for cascading recovered solid wood

Abstract The circular economy is among the key contemporary policy goals both in Europe and in Finland. Therefore, sustainability and life cycle thinking are increasingly the center of attention. In addition, wood and bioproduct companies have faced many challenges in Finland and the closure or restructuring of many large-scale industrial sites have caused many regional changes for both society and the private sector. The EU's targets to promote the circular economy and become a recycling society bring about many changes and provide new opportunities. This study addresses two different components of circular economy development in the forest sector through case studies. The first case study was a regional study on sustainability driven competitive advantage within forest sector companies and the method applied was a questionnaire survey targeted at both large and small forest sector companies in the Kymenlaakso region. The second case study was about the potential for cascading recovered solid wood in wood products and wood working companies and the method employed was interviewing company and association representatives. The findings of the first case study indicate that material and energy efficiency are important in the context of circular economy and bioeconomy development. They also indicate the importance of EU and national level public steering and sustainability considerations and that there is a need for more focus on life cycle thinking in the future. The findings of the second case study indicate that without inducements, legislative obligations or demand from the construction sector or other customers, the potential for the wide-scale cascading of solid wood in Finland is very limited. The most promising cascading opportunities are the reuse and preparing for reuse of wooden packages and furniture. In addition, the results suggest that life-cycle-assessment for different end-of-life scenarios for solid wood products could give more reliable information about different options from an environmental point of view.

Financing major repairs in apartment buildings through infill development

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to study views of owner-occupiers concerning infill development as a mechanism for financing major repairs in apartment buildings and financial benefits they require from the infill development for accepting it near their homes (on the plot of their housing company).Design/methodology/approachThe data used draws upon a survey of 894 respondents concerning residents’ views on infill development in Finland. The required financial benefits from the infill development were questioned in both relative proportions of the expenses related to major repairs and concrete monetary sums.FindingsFirst, the findings indicate that the financial benefits owner-occupiers require in order to accept infill development are significant, covering about two-thirds of the costs of major repairs during following ten years or over 75 percent of an (imagined) upcoming pipeline repair. Second, approximately one-fifth of the respondents regard that no economic benefit is enough to make them support infill development. Third, people’s decision-making concerning infill development is complex, involving also many other factors than monetary.Practical implicationsThis paper provides insight into the feasibility of infill development as a means to finance major repairs from the perspective of owner-occupiers. The paper has strong policy implications as it highlights the significance of the public authorities and their policies in enabling the infill development.Originality/valueThis is the first academic study to focus on owner-occupiers views and financial requirements for the infill development as a means to finance major repairs in apartment buildings.

Finland’s slow recovery from the financial crisis: A demographic explanation

Abstract This article uses the National Transfer Accounts (NTA) method to explore how demographic changes have impacted recent macroeconomic developments in Finland. NTA allows us to break down national income and consumption by age. The results show that population ageing has already had a profound effect on the macroeconomy. The relatively large current account surplus at the beginning of the 2000s would have been substantially reduced because of ageing even without the concurrent structural problems in the export industry. The declining share of wage earners in the population reduces the savings rate, which in turn contributes to shrink the current account surplus. Population ageing is creating pressure for change in the level and structure of consumption as well as in relative prices. The growing need for public health and old-age care services presents a considerable challenge for public finances. It is essential that the labour supply is substantially increased in order that current levels of consumption can be maintained. The current level and age pattern of consumption relative to earnings must be adjusted in order to make them sustainable in the long term.

Interferometric Water Level Tilt Meter Development in Finland and Comparison with Combined Earth Tide and Ocean Loading Models

A modern third-generation interferometric water level tilt meter was developed at the Finnish Geodetic Institute in 2000. The tilt meter has absolute scale and can do high-precision tilt measurements on earth tides, ocean tide loading and atmospheric loading. Additionally, it can be applied in various kinds of geodynamic and geophysical research. The principles and results of the historical 100-year-old Michelson–Gale tilt meter, as well as the development of interferometric water tube tilt meters of the Finnish Geodetic Institute, Finland, are reviewed. Modern Earth tide model tilt combined with Schwiderski ocean tide loading model explains the uncertainty in historical tilt observations by Michelson and Gale. Earth tide tilt observations in Lohja2 geodynamic station, southern Finland, are compared with the combined model earth tide and four ocean tide loading models. The observed diurnal and semidiurnal harmonic constituents do not fit well with combined models. The reason could be a result of the improper harmonic modelling of the Baltic Sea tides in those models.

Tourism Collaborative Governance and Rural Community Development in Finland: The Case of Vuonislahti

Tourism is recognized as a potential development mechanism for peripheral rural communities encountering various changes and challenges. However, a relatively unexplored theme in previous studies is that tourism’s potential benefits to rural communities are affected by rural development policies and practices: specifically, a collaborative governance approach. Based on a case study from Vuonislahti, a peripheral locale in the municipality of Lieksa, Finland, this article frames a community tourism collaborative governance approach. The study suggests that the village community receives limited tourism benefits because of various constraints rooted in the specific socioeconomic and institutional settings of the village and beyond. However, the struggle to formulate a fair and effective community tourism collaborative governance approach may bring positive socioeconomic benefits to the village and to other similarly declining rural communities in Finland and beyond. The approach is conceptually tentative in nature and its theoretical development needs to be complemented with additional research findings from empirical case studies conducted in diverse rural socioeconomic and institutional contexts of countries under different regimes.

The Turning Point of Lutheran Anti-Catholicism: The Reception of the Second Vatican Council in Finland

The Second Vatican Council indirectly furthered the high approach of Finnish Lutheranism to liturgy and episcopal ministry by tempering fear of the Roman Catholic Church, paving the way for acceptance of such concepts as successio apostolica and episcopal consecration. This change in attitude toward Catholicism can be observed in the writings and speeches of certain Finnish Lutheran bishops. This article examines the hopes and fears of the Finnish Lutheran bishops raised by the announcement of Pope John xxiii that an ecumenical council would be assembled and investigates the role of the Finnish observer Seppo A. Teinonen at the council. Teinonen wrote theologically detailed articles and lectures about the council and its progress and aims, works that gradually helped to vanquish the long-standing tradition of mild anti-Catholicism in Finland and create space for the liturgical and episcopal renewal of Finnish Lutheranism. It is apparent that the principal catalyst in this Nordic Lutheran development is the successful ecumenical dialogues between the Lutheran and Anglican Churches that resulted in the Porvoo Agreement of 1992. However, the impact of the Second Vatican Council on this development in Finland has not been previously investigated, and it has thus not been taken into account. This study thus fills an obvious gap in the field of theology and ecumenics.

Discursive construction of the legitimacy of a place marketing project: the case of North Karelia

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to theoretically explain the significance of discourse for the construction of the legitimacy of place marketing practice, and to illustrate empirically how this is done in a “genre of strategy”.Design/methodology/approachThe paper applies a critical discourse analysis perspective, and utilises a theoretical framework of four legitimation strategies of authorisation, moral evaluation, rationalisation and mythopoesis to analyse how the legitimacy of a place marketing project carried out in the region of North Karelia, Finland, is discursively constructed within strategic documents of the project.FindingsSeveral discursive legitimation strategies were recognised. The authority of the project was constructed by referring to the organisational context of the project, while rational and moral legitimation strategies drew from hegemonic discourses of regional competitiveness, attractiveness and cooperation. These discourses were further connected to discussions of contemporary regional development in Finland and in Europe.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the paper underlines the significance of the “genre of strategy” for the discursive legitimation of place marketing projects, it points out that it does not extend to cover the reception or change over time of the legitimation strategies, that should be addressed in further studies.Originality/valueThe paper presents an original perspective on legitimacy of place marketing projects by introducing discourse as a central element in the construction of legitimacy. This is especially useful for critical purposes, as it allows the discourses that legitimise place marketing practice to be placed under scrutiny, hence opening up the possibility for alternative discourses to emerge.

Additive Manufacturing in Finland: Recommendations for a Renewed Innovation Policy

The objective of this research is to define an optimal innovation policy and funding strategy to improve Additive Manufacturing (AM) capabilities in Finnish companies. To do so, we present an international review of innovation programs in the area of AM. In addition, the study replied upon a survey prepared to evaluate factors for AM implementation. The ultimate goal is to help in the definition of a national policy strategy in the area of AM based on the characteristics of the Finnish industrial ecosystem.The methodology and data collection method involved defining the taxonomy of Finnish AM industry. The target group of the survey was a population of AM experts, and individuals with knowledge on AM and industrial processes. Overall, the survey revealed that research and innovation activities are well positioned in Finland. In order for future innovation policies to further support developments in the field, we estimated that policy strategies need to generate about 6-8 M€/year in national and EU- funding instruments for AM technology transfer, development, and innovation activities. Efforts should be targeted towards strengthening uses of AM in final production. In fact, only 36% of Finnish respondents declared to use AM for final production, while leading countries in AM use it in average more than 50%. Another area in need of development in Finland is the use of AM high performance materials. Moreover, outsourcing of AM services in Finland is 23 percentage point higher in national and 13 percentage point higher in international outsourcing to service bureaus and suppliers. In this regard, future policies and funding strategies should maintain the created momentum. However, there is a need to acquire high-end research and industrial equipment to stimulate AM integration to the existing production systems. This in the end can trigger the creation of new products, processes and intellectual property, enabling innovation and competitive advantage.

School autonomy, leadership and student achievement: reflections from Finland

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide national information on school autonomy, leadership and student achievements in Finland. Design/methodology/approach The paper is a literature review on Finnish studies focusing on school autonomy, leadership and student achievement. The studies have been reviewed on the basis of a content analysis. Findings There exists a shortage of studies connecting school leadership to student achievements. School leadership in Finland has been investigated in previous research, especially from the perspective of shared or pedagogical leadership, but vast majority of the studies have focused on teachers and educational staff, not directly on students. An evident reason for this is inaccessible information on school-based data and the nature of education being a “public good”, which is supposed to meet the same standards across the country. Originality/value This review will provide the international audience a deeper understanding in the school autonomy and leadership development in Finland.

A New Era in Sport Organizations and Coach Development in Finland

The purpose of this article is to describe recent actions for sport organizations and coach development in Finland. Finnish Sport organizations and systems especially in high-performance sports have been in a transition phase in recent years. The high-performance sport systems have been analyzed and reorganized and new strategic goals were set. Coach development was chosen as one of the focus areas and the leadership of coach development is at the new High Performance Unit of the Olympic Committee. There are different education paths for coaches and all the organizations which provide coach education belong to a network for coach development. This network works for developing programs, learning concepts and tools and sharing of expertise. One key idea of the development work has been to conduct systematic research among Finnish coaches to gain objective information of coaches’ needs and learning experiences. As a result of this work, the Finnish Coach Competence Model was created as a tool and for creating common understanding of coaches’ competences and for developing education programs and coaches’ assessment. Creating a new learning culture and a network have been the main steps so far and the further development for those are also the main goals in future.

Variables for a history of small states’ imaging practices – The case of Finland’s “international communication” in the 1970s–1980s

In the past 20 years, Public Diplomacy (PD) studies have become a growth industry, mixing IR studies, international communication, and public relations studies. Various typologies have produced catch-all terms of tremendous evocative force – including “Public Diplomacy” itself –, often projected on national or historical cases to make sense of various forms of engagement with foreign audiences. This intellectual profusion has recently extended into historical studies, with hints at past practices useful to understand 21st century processes. However, historians might have the feeling that the map of concepts and categories proposed, while suggestive of patterns, does not quite match the territory they try to chart. Furthermore, these categories have been closely linked to the American experience, and entire linguistic and national traditions located outside the anglosphere have been kept at bay until recently. A quick glance at those suggests a gap between theoretization in PD studies, and a historical approach of imaging practices towards foreign audiences anchored in national and historical contexts. Following the development of Finland’s imaging practices from the Cold War to the 2000s nation branding, this article proposes to study imaging practices without the semantic and theoretical arsenal of PD studies. It proposes a set of variables researchers could adapt to various settings, especially to the history of smaller, peripheral nations, and remote historically and geographically from a US Cold War standard: the international environment of the country, the state of its domestic policy, its administrative organization, technological developments, and identity construction. These point to active, idiosyncratic processes that determine these nations’ imaging practices.

Educational leadership for sustained multi-level school development in Finland – A non-affirmative approach

Educational leadership for sustained multi-level school development in Finland – A non-affirmative approach

The discursive construction of an active rural community

In this article, I will study active rural communities, how they are constructed in the speech of local people involved in community development practices. Over the past twenty years, community-led development practices have been a new paradigm for the rural development in Finland, which has been reflected as increasing number of village associations. I will analyse the discursive construction of the active community by interviewing all the present and previous leaders of three active village associations in the province of Central Finland. Active rural communities are constructed through village associations, by their local activities and self-consciousness as active communities. In the local representations, a rural community is constructed especially as a nurtured process, which progresses and develops according to the amount of local people’s commitment to the home village. Even if the leaders of active communities have adopted the strategic development discourse as the way to define their villages, the rural policy objective to get rural communities to adopt entrepreneurial subjectivity has not been achieved. Instead, the local discourse reflects how the local activeness is more about struggling for survival. Despite the contradiction between rural policy and local level, the activeness discourse constructs village associations as responsible for keeping villages alive through the rationality and practices of rural community development.

Institutional entrepreneurship in transforming energy systems towards sustainability: Wind energy in Finland and India

A growing body of literature has examined the dynamics of wind energy development across different mature and emerging institutional contexts. However, so far only few have paused to reflect on the differences between developed and emerging economies. Building upon the literature on institutional entrepreneurship, this paper compares institutional strategies in wind energy development in Finland and India by using the typology of political, technical and cultural work. We highlight the role of institutional approaches in studying sustainable energy transitions in mature and emerging institutional contexts, while being sensitive to the role of heterogeneous actors in shaping institutional arrangements. Our findings offer implications for debates in the institutional entrepreneurship literature by exploring how actors shape their institutional environment in different contexts, and the extent to which emerging institutional contexts provide more opportunities for institutional entrepreneurship. Finally, this paper underscores the need for developing insights into enabling conditions for successful collective institutional entrepreneurship and for developing typologies of institutional strategies which are generalizable across both mature and emerging institutional contexts.

EXPERIENCES IN DEVELOPING A NATIONAL DOSE REGISTER IN FINLAND AND MERGING IT WITH THE OVERALL SUPERVISORY DATA SYSTEM.

In recent years, a new national Dose Register has been under development in Finland. This article presents this work, the challenges in the project, the features of the new register and experiences in using it. There were several motivations for creating a new register. The technical implementation of the existing Dose Register needed to be reformed, and there was also a need to improve electronic communication and access to the recorded data. The development was challenging and took more time and effort than expected. Despite the challenges, the new system works quite reliably and enables the use of the registered data to more easily improve radiation safety.

International Pressure to Perform: Counterterrorism Policy Development in Finland

ABSTRACTThe major terrorist attacks in Western countries during the last fifteen years have had consequences way beyond the countries in which they have happened. The article provides a primary source–based account of the development of counterterrorism policy in Finland, which is one of those countries with a low national threat level. The article demonstrates the significant role that international pressure, through obligations, recommendations, and social learning, plays in developing national counterterrorist policies. The article calls also into question whether the pressure to comply with international pressure always contributes toward sound national counterterrorism policies that foster political resilience to terrorism.

Cultural-Historic Resources as a Factor of Entrance Tourism Development in Finland

The article is devoted to the complex evaluation of the venue of cultural-historic heritage of Finland, in order toprove its tourist attraction and inclusion into the touristic routes around the country. The cultural-historic venueare classified thematically, their territorial location and ranging in Finland are shown.

Communication – a culture of open dialogue

Purpose – Open dialogue (OD) is an innovative approach to mental health crises based on close collaboration between services and an individual’s family and social network. The approach was originally designed by Jaakko Seikkula and his colleagues in Tornio, Finland and is now being developed in many countries around the world, in particular Denmark, Germany, Norway and the USA. OD describes both a way of being with families and also a way of organising services aimed at maximising communication and connection. The purpose of this paper is to describe the principles of OD, it’s development in Finland and here in the UK. Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a description of the principles and outcomes of OD as practised in Western Finland. It also describes the recent developments in the UK using the approach. Findings – This paper is descriptive of the model and is not of a research project. Originality/value – Whilst care must be taken in assuming that these remarkable results are transferable to the UK, other countries and several Mental Health trusts in England are actively engaged with developing an OD approach.

THE FINNISH EDUCATION AND QUALIFICATIONS SYSTEMS

The paper describes the Finnish perspective on introducing the national qualifications framework based on learning outcomes and competences. The issue is analyzed in a broader context of successful history of Finnish education and realization of lifelong training strategy. The authordemonstrates the education policy development in Finland and the role of different parties in its implementation, as well as a conflict of interests and obstacles that slow down the adoption of the national qualifications framework.