Abstract
The main purpose of this chapter is to examine how Finland is developing its educational governance to meet the challenges of its changing operational environment. For our examination, we applied two theoretical frameworks on education policy development. The one constructed in the Comparative Analysis of Dynamics in Education Politics Project (CADEP) by Simola, Kauko, Varjo, Kalalahti and Sahlström (Dynamics in education politics. Understanding and explaining the Finnish case. Routledge, Oxon and New York, 2017) provided us with the theoretical lenses of political situations, political possibilities and politicking, as well as with valuable contextual information. The one for the Policy Enactments in the Secondary School Project (PESSP) by Ball, Maguire and Braun (How schools do policy, policy enactment in secondary schools. Routledge, Oxon and New York, 2012) complemented the CADEP framework with valuable concepts for analysis, like interpretation/translation and implementation/enactment. Applying these theoretical frameworks, we were able to examine and describe the evolvement of Finnish state and local educational institutions and their relationship from the centralised, norm-based and system-oriented governance into a decentralised, information-based and result-oriented one. We could identify incidents of path dependence, convergence and contingency, as well as manifestations of power. In addition, the distinction between interpretation/translation and implementation/enactment proved purposeful for understanding education policy development.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Act for Universities of Applied Sciences. (2014/932). Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/2014/en20140932?search%5Btype%5D=pika&search%5Bpika%5D=2014%2F932
Aho, E., Pitkänen, K., & Sahlberg, P. (2006). Policy development and reform principles of basic and secondary education in Finland since 1968. Washington, DC: World Bank.
Ball, S. J., Maguire, M., & Braun, A. (2012). How schools do policy, policy enactment in secondary schools. Oxon/New York: Routledge.
Basic Education Act. (1998/628). Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/1998/en19980628?search%5Btype%5D=pika&search%5Bpika%5D=1998%2F628
Burrell, G., & Morgan, G. (1979). Sociological paradigms and organisational analysis. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Company.
Constitution of Finland. (1999/731). Retrieved from http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/kaannokset/1999/en19990731.pdf
EDUFI. (n.d.). Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from http://www.oph.fi/english/about_us/task_services_and_organisation
Emirbayer, M. (1997). Manifesto for relational sociology. The American Journal of Sociology, 103(2), 281–317.
Faehnle, M. & Mäenpää, P. (2017). Neljäs sektori murtaa ja rakentaa kuntien hallintoa [Fourth sector breaks and constructs municipalities’ administration, in Finnish]. Retrieved on September 23, from https://www.kuntaliitto.fi/blogi/2017/neljas-sektori-murtaa-ja-rakentaa-kuntien-hallintoa#
FIER. (n.d.). Finnish Institute for Educational Research. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from https://ktl.jyu.fi/en
FINEEC. (n.d.). Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from https://karvi.fi/en/fineec/
Government. (2003). Pääministeri Matti Vanhasen hallituksen ohjelma 24.6.2003 [Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen’s government programme 24.6.2003, in Finnish]. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from https://valtioneuvosto.fi/documents/10184/369117/hallitusohjelma-vanhanen.pdf/da627124-c0ee-4015-9642-197b11013c02/hallitusohjelma-vanhanen.pdf.pdf
Government. (2007). Pääministeri Matti Vanhasen hallituksen ohjelman seuranta [Follow-up of Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen’s government programme, in Finnish]. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from https://valtioneuvosto.fi/documents/10184/369117/vanhanen-hallitusohjelman-seurantaraportti-14.2.2007.pdf/b890849c-29c5-47f4-929f-f1d999ea4041/vanhanen-hallitusohjelman-seurantaraportti-14.2.2007.pdf.pdf
Government. (2018). Valtion lupa- ja valvontavirasto Luovan yhteinen ohjaus tähtää vaikuttavuuteen [The joint steering of the National Supervisory Authority aims at effectiveness, in Finnish]. Retrieved on August 3, 2018, from https://alueuudistus.fi/artikkeli/-/asset_publisher/valtion-lupa-ja-valvontavirasto-luovan-yhteinen-ohjaus-tahtaa-vaikuttavuuteen
Government. (n.d.-a). Finnish Government. Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from http://valtioneuvosto.fi/tietoa?p_p_id=56_INSTANCE_SSKDNE5ODInk&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_count=1&_56_INSTANCE_SSKDNE5ODInk_languageId=en_US
Government. (n.d.-b). What is the National Supervisory Authority (Luova)? Retireved on August 3, 2018, from https://alueuudistus.fi/luova?p_p_id=56_INSTANCE_I7eHeBhg9vBE&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_count=1&_56_INSTANCE_I7eHeBhg9vBE_languageId=en_US
Government. (n.d.-c). EU affairs and the Finnish government. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from https://valtioneuvosto.fi/tietoa/eu-asioiden-kasittely?p_p_id=56_INSTANCE_KaV9fmbioUg3&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_count=1&_56_INSTANCE_KaV9fmbioUg3_languageId=en_US
Government. (n.d.-d). Appointment and organisation. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from https://valtioneuvosto.fi/tietoa/nimittaminen-ja-jarjestaytyminen?p_p_id=56_INSTANCE_SSKDNE5ODInk&p_p_lifecycle=0&p_p_state=normal&p_p_mode=view&p_p_col_id=column-2&p_p_col_count=1&_56_INSTANCE_SSKDNE5ODInk_languageId=en_US
Government. (n.d.-e). Hallitusohjelman toteutus ja kärkihankkeet [Implementing Government Programme and key projects, in Finnish]. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from https://valtioneuvosto.fi/hallitusohjelman-toteutus
Government. (n.d.-f). Osaaminen ja koulutus [Capacity and education]. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from https://valtioneuvosto.fi/hallitusohjelman-toteutus/osaaminen.
Government. (n.d.-g). Regional Government, health and social reform. Retrieved on August 4, 2018, from https://alueuudistus.fi/en/general-information-reform
Government Rules of Procedure. (2003/262). Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2003/20030262
Green, A. (1999). Education and globalization in Europe and East Asia: Convergent and divergent trends. Journal of Education Policy, 14(1), 55–71.
Hargreaves, A., & Shirley, D. (2009). The fourth way: The inspiring future for educational change. Thousand Oaks: Corwin.
Heiskala, R. (2001). Theorizing power: Weber, Parsons, Foucalt and neostructuralism. Social Science Information, 40(2), 241–264.
Hirvi, V. (1996). Koulutuksen rytminvaihdos. 1990-luvun koulutuspolitiikka Suomessa [The change of rhythm in education. Education Policy in Finland in the 1990s]. Keuruu: Otava.
Johansson, O., Nihlfors, E., & Steen, L. J. (2014). School boards and their functions in Sweden. In L. Moos & J. M. Paulsen (Eds.), School boards in the governance process. Dordrecht: Springer.
Jokinen, K., & Saaristo, K. (2006). Suomalainen yhteiskunta [Finnish society]. Helsinki: Sanoma Pro.
Kanervio, P., & Risku, M. (2009). Tutkimus kuntien yleissivistävän koulutuksen opetustoimen johtamisen tilasta ja muutoksista Suomessa [A Study on Educational Leadership in General Education in Finnish Municipalities, Abstract in English]. Ministry of Education publications 16. Helsinki: University Press.
Katajala, K. (2002). Suomalainen kapina, talonpoikaislevottomuudet ja poliittisen kulttuurin muutos Ruotsin ajalla (n. 1150–1800) [Finnish revolt, rustic unrest and change political culture during the Swedish Era (ca. 1150–1800, in Finnish]. Historiallisia tutkimuksia 212. Helsinki: SKS.
Kerr, C. (1983). The future of industrial societies: Convergence or continuing diversity? Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Knill, C. (2005). Introduction: Cross-national policy convergence: Concepts, approaches and explanatory factors. Journal of European Public Policy, 12(5), 764–774.
Lapiolahti, R. (2007). Koulutuksen arviointi kunnallisen koulutuksen järjestäjän tehtävänä. Paikallisen arvioinnin toteutumisedellytysten arviointia erään kuntaorganisaation näkökulmasta [Evaluation of education as a task of the local provider of education – What are the presuppositions of the execution of evaluation in one specific local organisation, in Finnish]. Jyväskylä Studies in Education, Psychology and Social Research 308. Jyväskylä: Jyväskylä University Printing House.
Laukkanen, R. (1998). Opetustoimen keskushallinnon evaluaatioajattelun kehitys Suomessa 1970-luvulta 1990-luvulle [Development of the outlook on evaluation of central administration in the provision of education in Finland from the 1970s to 1990s, in Finnish]. Finnish Institute for Educational Research Publications 5. Jyväskylä: Finnish Institute for Educational Research.
Lawrence, P. R., & Lorsch, J. W. (1967). Organization and environment. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Lehtonen, H., & Aho, S. (2000). Hyvinvointivaltion leikkausten uudelleenarviointi [Rethinking cuts on welfare state]. Janus, 8(2), 97–113.
Levi, M. (1997). A model, a method and a map. Rational choice and historical analysis. In M. Lichbach & A. Zuckerman (Eds.), Comparative politics: Rationality, culture and structure (pp. 19–41). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Matriculation Examination Board. (n.d.) The matriculation examination is a national examination based on the syllabus of the Finnish upper secondary school. Retrieved on July 26, 2018, from https://www.ylioppilastutkinto.fi/en/
Ministry of Education and Culture. (n.d.-a). Ministry of Education and Culture. Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from http://minedu.fi/en/ministry.
Ministry of Education and Culture. (n.d.-b). Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriön avustukset [Subsidies of the Ministry of Education and Culture, in Finnish]. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from https://minedu.fi/avustukset
Ministry of Finance. (2015). Keskus- ja aluehallinnon virastoselvityshankkeen koontiraportti [Joint report for arranging central and regional state agencies, in Finnish]. Ministry of Finance Publications 5. Helsinki: Ministry of Finance.
Mintzberg, H. (1979). The structuring of organizations. Enlewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall.
Moos, L., Nihlfors, E., & Paulsen, J. M. (2016). Nordic superintendents: Agents in a broken chain. Heidelberg/New York/Dodrecht/London: Springer International Publishing.
Municipal Act. (2015/410). Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from https://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/2015/20150410?search%5Btype%5D=pika&search%5Bpika%5D=kuntalaki
Niemelä, M. (2008). Julkisen sektorin reformin pitkä kaari Valtava-uudistuksesta Paras-hankkeeseen [The long reform of public sector from Valtava-reform to PARAS-project, in Finnish]. Studies in Social Security and Health 102. Helsinki: KELA. Retrieved on July 19, 2018, from https://helda.helsinki.fi/bitstream/handle/10250/7935/Tutkimuksia102.pdf?sequence=3&origin=publication_detail
Norris, N., Aspland, R., Mac Donald, B., Schostak, J., & Zamorski, B. (1996). Arviointi peruskoulun opetussuunnitelmauudistuksesta [Evaluation report on comprehensive curriculum reform, in Finnish] (Arviointi 11). Helsinki: National Board of Education.
Nyholm, I., Haveri, A., Majoinen, K. & Pekola-Sjöblom, M. (2017a). Introduction: The future story of municipalities is being written now. In I. Nyholm, A. Haveri, K. Majoinen, & M. Pekola-Sjöblom (Eds.) Tulevaisuuden kunta [Future municipality] (Acta 264, pp. 29–40). Helsinki: Finnish Association for Local and Regional Authorities, University of Tampere, Ministry of Finance.
Nyholm, I., Haveri, A., Majoinen, K., & Pekola-Sjöblom, M. (2017b). Concluding words: What shapes a municipality’s future? In I. Nyholm, A. Haveri, K. Majoinen & M. Pekola-Sjöblom (Eds.) Tulevaisuuden kunta [Future municipality] (Acta 264, pp. 549–551). Helsinki: Finnish Association for Local and Regional Authorities, University of Tampere, Ministry of Finance.
Parliament. (n.d.-a). About parliament. Retrieved July 26, 2018, from https://www.eduskunta.fi/EN/tietoaeduskunnasta/Pages/default.aspx
Parliament. (n.d.-b). Committees. Retrieved on July 26, 2018, from https://www.eduskunta.fi/EN/lakiensaataminen/valiokunnat/Pages/default.aspx
Paulsen, J. M., Nihlfors, E., Brinkjar, U., & Risku, M. (2016). Superintendent leadership in hierarchy and network. In L. Moos, E. Nihlfors, & J. M. Paulsen (Eds.), Nordic superintendents: Agents in a broken chain. Doodrecht: Springer.
Pierson, P. (2000). Increasing returns, path dependence, and the study of politics. American Political Science Review, 9(2), 251–267.
Pusa, O. (1997). Hyvinvointivaltion murros [Welfare state’s turning point]. In T. J. Hämäläinen (Ed.), Murroksen aika, Selviääkö Suomi rakennemuutoksesta? [Welfare state’s turning point, will Finland cope with the structural change?, in Finnish] (pp. 112–119). Helsinki: WSOY.
Rajanen, J. (2000). Selvitys koulutuksen paikallisen tason arvioinnin tilasta [Report on the status of local evaluation on education, in Finnish] (National Board of Education Evaluation 11). Helsinki: National Board of Education.
Risku, M. (2014). A historical insight on Finnish education policy from 1944 to 2011. Italian Journal of Sociology of Education, 6(2), 36–68.
Risku, M. (2018). Governance structure for Finnish education system. Learning material for the international Master’s Degree Programme in educational leadership. Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä.
Risku, M., Björk, L., & Ferrigno-Brown, T. (2012). School–parent relations in Finland. Journal of School Public Relations, 33, 48–71.
Risku, M., Kanervio, P., & Björk, L. (2014). Finnish superintendents: Leading in a changing education policy context. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 13(4), 383–406.
Risku, M., Kanervio, P., & Pulkkinen, S. (2016). Finnish superintendents are striving with a changing operational environment. In L. Moos, E. Nihlfors, & J. M. Paulsen (Eds.), Nordic superintendents: Agents in a broken chain (pp. 65–98). Heidelberg/New York/Dodrecht/London: Springer.
Ryynänen, A. (2004). Kuntien ja alueiden itsehallinto – kehittämisvaihtoehdot [Autonomy of municipalities and regions – Options for development]. Helsinki: Edita.
Sewell, W. H. (1996). Three temporalities: Toward an eventful sociology. In T. J. McDonald (Ed.), The historic turn in the human sciences (pp. 245–280). Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press.
Siltala, J. (2017). Keski-luokan nousu, lasku ja pelot [The rise, decline and fears of middle-class]. Helsinki: Otava.
Simola, H., Kauko, J., Varjo, J., Kalalahti, M., & Sahlström, F. (2017). Dynamics in education politics. Understanding and explaining the Finnish case. Oxon/New York: Routledge.
State Regional Administrative Authorities. (n.d.). Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from https://www.avi.fi/en/web/avi-en/#.WkHl9d-WbIVhttps://www.avi.fi/en/web/avi-en/#.WkHl9d-WbIV
Tian, M., & Risku, M. (2019). A distributed leadership perspective on the Finnish national core curriculum reform 2014. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 51(1), 229–244.
University Act. (2009/558). Retrieved on December 21, 2017, from https://www.finlex.fi/en/laki/kaannokset/2009/en20090558?search%5Btype%5D=pika&search%5Bpika%5D=2009%2F558
YLE. (2018a, July 23). Ylen kysely: Neljä viidestä haluaa, että koko Suomi pysyy asuttuna – ja että valtio maksaa viulut [YLE survey: Four out of five want to keep the whole Finland populated – the Government to pay for the costs, in Finnish]. Retrieved on July 26, from https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10313405
YLE. (2018b, August 1). Maakunta-sote tässä ja nyt: Lue oikeustieteen professorin 7 vastausta, ja olet taas kartalla [County-health-social reform here and now: Read 7 answers from Professor in Law and know where you are on the map again, in Finnish]. Retrieved August 1, 2018, from https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10326529
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Risku, M., Tian, M. (2020). Finland: Changing Operational Environment Changing Finnish Educational Governance. In: Ärlestig, H., Johansson, O. (eds) Educational Authorities and the Schools. Educational Governance Research, vol 13. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38759-4_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38759-4_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-38758-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-38759-4
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)