Regionality, equality and democracy

The ties between Finnish university and regional policies from 1960s to the present day

Authors

• Ismo Björn Itä-Suomen yliopisto
• Pirjo Pöllänen Itä-Suomen yliopisto
• Jarmo Saarti Itä-Suomen yliopisto https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6565-0969

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33350/ka.107250

Keywords:

welfare state, democracy, regional policy, university's regional role, innovation, market-oriented competition, education

Abstract

The Finnish university network is the strong part of Finnish welfare state. The university provides information for decision-making, but through its teaching and research it also creates a basis for regional and democratic developments. In this article, we examine the interpretations and policies of different eras related to the expansion of the Finnish university network and especially regionalization. The aim is to find out what kind of ethos has guided the development of the Finnish university network from the 1960s to the present day. We ask how the regional mission of universities has been seen in different decades, and what relationship between the university and the surrounding area has been in different decades. Our analysis is based on documentary and interview material as well as previous research. We have divided the development of the university into three periods: 1) the period of decentralized welfare state, equality and territorial coverage, 2) the period of the emergence of decentralized welfare state and innovation policy, and 3) the period of a concentrating and globalizing competitive state. These periods are interpreted in parallel with changes in the welfare state. The transition from a regional university network that spreads prosperity, democracy, and equality throughout the state to an economically innovation-intensive and competing university field is manifested in the concentration of decision-making on large and remote units and the weakening of regional voice. The result is a narrowing of democracy.