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Local government in Finland is based on local self-government by the people. The Finnish Constitution safeguards the central features of local self-government: Residents elect the supreme decision-making body, the municipal council. The council has the general decision-making authority in local
In Finland, municipal sports services work closely with other municipal departments and with other sectors, NGOs and associations across municipal boundaries. As a result of this cooperation, the country boasts an extensive network of local facilities for everyday physical activity, with municipal
Early childhood education and care Early childhood education and care (ECEC) means systematic and purposeful education, teaching and care of a child with special emphasis on pedagogics, as defined in the Act on early childhood education and care. In Finland, public ECEC is provided by local
The goals, benefits and impacts of the Courage to Experiment Programme — A culture of experimentation Programme’s goals: Facilitating the launch and implementation of municipally-led experiments and, Benchmarking between municipalities and other parties Drawing attention to experimenting in
First year Discovery phase: First workshop, methods used were service map, service diary and personas The aim of the first workshop was to increase understanding of a customer's needs, the situation and a customer’s service experience. Service map In the first workshop, information was gathered
The focus is on a case study carried out in the region of Kainuu between 2014 and 2016 by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities and the Kainuu joint municipal authority for social welfare and health care. The project was launched after a structural reform of municipalities and
The multi-disciplinary InnoSI research project taking place in ten EU Member States identifies, evaluates and compares local and regional social investments and increases the decision-makers’ understanding of social investments and the opportunities they offer for modernizing the welfare society.
As part of the InnoSi project, the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities published together with Turku University of Applied Sciences a foresight handbook titled ”From Signals to Future Stories”. The handbook delves into the theory and practice of futures research by introducing a
Explaining the Social Investment Package The European Commission defined the concept of social investment already in 2013 with the release of the Social Investment Package. According to the package, welfare systems should secure social investments, social protection and economic balance. Social
Finland: User-driven development of local public services in Kainuu (Case 1) Period: April 2014 – January 2017 Target population: Vulnerable people in a disadvantaged region: Elderly (75+) and young people Investment theme: Strengthen communality; Improve employment Short description of the program
The Association's Brussels office is a centre for lobbying towards the European Union for the Finnish local and regional authorities. Located close to the EU Institutions, in the ‘House of Cities, Municipalities and Regions', the office works in close co-operation with other European local
There are 18 regions on mainland Finland. A regional council is the region's statutory joint municipal authority; every local authority must be a member of a regional council. The autonomous province of Åland Islands off the southwest coast of Finland is also a region, but its administration is
The ARTTU2 Research Programme examined the impact on local authorities and municipal residents of the changes brought about by the implemented and planned municipal reforms. The research programme, coordinated by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities, began in late 2014 and
Finnish cities and municipalities have a strong social impact and, on a European scale, an exceptionally wide range of functions. Local authorities arrange basic public services for their residents, including social welfare, health care, education and culture, and technical services. Local
Local residents have a right to a good living environment. Cities and municipalities are creating better local environments for everyone through their housing policy, public construction, maintenance of traffic routes, public transport, waste management, parks and outdoor areas. Land use and