Finnish Citizens Initiatives: Empowering Public Participation in Decision-Making
Citizens in Finland have the opportunity to directly influence legislation through Citizens Initiatives (CIs), where 50,000 signatures are needed within 6 months for a proposal to be considered by Parliament. Nearly 1000 CIs have been launched, with some leading to significant changes in laws and governmental actions. The public awareness and participation in CIs have been notable, with studies showing a positive impact on democracy in Finland.
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Citizens Initiatives in Finland Maija Set l Participation in Long-Term Decision-Making (PALO) project University of Turku, Finland maiset@utu.fi www.paloresearch.fi @paloresearch
Finnish Citizens Initiatives: Legal Framework Citizens Initiative (CI) adopted in the Finnish Constitution in March 2012 Details described in a specific law An agenda initiative with the following features: Formulated as a law proposal or as a requirement for legislative action Can pertain to new legislation or change or repeal of an existing law 50.000 signatures required (about 1.2 percent of those eligible to vote), must be collected within 6 months Signatures can be collected on paper and online www.paloresearch.fi @paloresearch
Finnish Citizens Initiatives: Key Features Most initiatives made on the online platform by the Ministry of Justice https://www.kansalaisaloite.fi/ No formal admissibility checks CIs made by established organizations, civil society associations, ad hoc networks and individual citizens Treated in Eduskunta like other law proposals: Plenary => committee report => plenary vote Parliament should respond in six months after the submission of a CI Hearing of initiators in committees, publicity in hearings CIs are given priority over proposals by individual MPs in committees (comparable to law proposals by 100 MPs) www.paloresearch.fi @paloresearch
Finnish Citizens Initiatives: Experience Nearly 1000 CIs have been launched 30 CIs have gained more than 50.000 signatures 25 CIs have been submitted to Eduskunta Two initiatives have been accepted by the parliament equal marriage (2014) maternity law (2018) Several CIs have led to governmental action Legislative change has not always been the aim, but raising public discussion
Finnish Citizens Initiatives: Public Awareness Finnish National Election Study 2015: 35 % have signed a CI 65 % have signed or could do so in the future about 80 % think that the CI has improved the quality of democracy in Finland A survey by The Foundation of Municipal Development (KAKS) 2018: 48 % have signed a CI 90 % have signed or could do so in the future www.paloresearch.fi @paloresearch
Finnish Citizens Initiatives: Who Signs? Especially young people have used CIs actively Clear contrast with voting and party membership Factors such as unemployment and bad health do not decrease the likelihood of signing CIs Rather, bad health can have an activating effect, especially among the young (Christensen et al 2018) => CI can activate otherwise politically passive groups
Finnish Citizens Initiatives: Problems with the practice and suggestions for improvement Committees have not always written a report on a CI Sometimes good reasons: inconsistent or badly prepared initiatives Yet, this may raise doubts about the fairness of the procedure => Careful articulation of the reasons for the chosen procedure or decision CIs expire in the end parliamentary term (like other law proposals) Initiators need to be strategic with the timing A forthcoming legislative reform allows more leeway for initiators => Constitutional changes may be needed eventually www.paloresearch.fi @paloresearch
Finnish Citizens Initiatives: Further Reading Christensen Henrik Serup; J ske, Maija; Set l , Maija; Laitinen, Elias (2017): The Finnish Citizens Initiative Towards Inclusive Agenda-Setting? Scandinavian Political Studies. Christensen, Henrik Serup; Set l , Maija; J ske, Maija (2018): Self-reported health and democratic innovations: the case of the citizens initiative in Finland. European Political Science. THANK YOU! www.paloresearch.fi @paloresearch
