1.4 Fundamental principles of the political and the administrative system

Tiihonen (2003, 5) names four key features framing the legal and administrative culture of Finland. As first he highlights the strong role of the state and the legitimacy and acceptance it enjoys among the citizens. The government owns substantial economic assets and the public expects high standards of social, environmental and consumer protection, and is ready to finance the broad social welfare system. State still remains the major provider of products and services and continues to regulate important economic sectors thought some important structural reforms have occurred. They were given an impetus by an economic crisis at the end of the 1980s and the accession to the European Union in 1995.

Secondly, governance and regulatory practices are characterised by consensus building, informality, collegiality, gradualism and often corporatist attitudes. Widespread participation in decision making, a search for consensus among coalition parties, informal procedures, institutionalised power sharing amongst government, employees and enterprises and a preference for making changes gradually are distinguishing features of Finnish political system. The roots of the consensual pathos can be tracked back to the many crises through which the nation has passed and that must have been met with joint forces. Corporatist attitudes still prevail in policy and rule-making but according to Tiihonen, the change is underway. For more than 25 years government, employers associations and the labour unions have co-operated to shape economic policy but it is seen as necessary to adapt the system in order to cope with rapid changes in the external environment, e.g. European integration and wider globalisation. Thirdly Tiihonen points out the importance of the rule of law in Finland's history and culture explaining a strong legalism as an enduring feature of Finnish governing system to this day. Fourth, Finland favours a decentralised executive, where regulatory powers are devolved to ministers, official bodies and municipalities. Finnish ministries are highly autonomous, while the centre of government (i.e. the cabinet and cabinet secretariat) is relatively weak.