Järjestöt kansalaisten edustajina hallinnonuudistuksessa?
Legitimointia, mahdollisuuksia ja odotuksia
Abstrakti
In this paper, we study third sector organizations as representatives of citizens in the context
of public sector reform. Our research focuses on
third sector organizations as part of public service systems. Our aim is to examine how these
organizations are able to filter citizen interests
into public policy-making processes? The theoretical framework of this research is based on
the concepts of participation, legitimacy and the
developments of civil society in the era of participatory governance in Finland. We have interviewed representatives of third sector organizations operating in the field of social and health
services. This set of interviews also forms the data of our study. Our key findings suggest that the
social and health focused third sector organizations form a heterogenous group and they differ
in their resources to represent citizens and their
respective interest groups. Working together as
allied groups in the public policy processes can,
however, increase third sector organizations’
possibilities to influence public sector reforms.
