Insights into Finnish Public Administration

Abstract

This chapter discusses the avenues through which to study Finnish public administration in the context of the Nordic welfare state and provides an outline of the perspectives provided in the following chapters. The research on Finnish public administration has been fragmented, and there has been a gap between political science and the study of public administration. The aim of this chapter is to describe our holistic approach to public administration that takes into account political aspects, structures and processes, as well as public services. The chapter further highlights the importance of considering the different levels of administration, as well as the different sectors involved in public administration, thus emphasising the multi-level governance and cross-sectional study of public administration.