State-initiated local reforms – an illusion of autonomy? : A comparative cross-country study of national influence on municipal mergers in Norway and Finland
Hakkarainen, Joel (2021)
2021
Nordic Master's Programme in Innovative Governance and Public Management
Johtamisen ja talouden tiedekunta - Faculty of Management and Business
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2021-07-12
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202105255433
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202105255433
Tiivistelmä
Municipalities in Norway and Finland have undergone reform processes during the current century, in which they have been merged with other municipalities with the aim of increasing cost-effectiveness and the efficiency of local administration. The purpose of this study is to examine how the role of state-level administration and politics has influenced the merger processes in two Finnish and two Norwegian municipalities during the countries’ respective local reform periods, and how the role of national influence has differed when comparing the reforms of the two countries.
In order to find answers to these questions, administrative and political leadership of two Finnish and two Norwegian municipalities were interviewed about the reform processes at their respective municipalities, and about the role of the state in them. The results showed that the role of the state increased in a merger process if the local leadership had difficulties to carry out a locally agreed merger process. Additionally, the state was more proactive to guide mergers in Norway in the beginning of the merger process, while in Finland the state played a more reactive role in the mergers, resulting in more intervention at the end of the local processes.
These results suggest that the competence of the local leadership as well as shared understanding and consensus among local stakeholders about the change process are important factors of successful local reforms. On this basis, discourse about local reforms should move away from a revolution-oriented approach towards an evolution-oriented approach, where focus is directed towards the quality of local resources which constitute not only for the development of local service-production and autonomy, but also for the development of local identity and meaning.
In order to find answers to these questions, administrative and political leadership of two Finnish and two Norwegian municipalities were interviewed about the reform processes at their respective municipalities, and about the role of the state in them. The results showed that the role of the state increased in a merger process if the local leadership had difficulties to carry out a locally agreed merger process. Additionally, the state was more proactive to guide mergers in Norway in the beginning of the merger process, while in Finland the state played a more reactive role in the mergers, resulting in more intervention at the end of the local processes.
These results suggest that the competence of the local leadership as well as shared understanding and consensus among local stakeholders about the change process are important factors of successful local reforms. On this basis, discourse about local reforms should move away from a revolution-oriented approach towards an evolution-oriented approach, where focus is directed towards the quality of local resources which constitute not only for the development of local service-production and autonomy, but also for the development of local identity and meaning.