Parlamentaarinen kontrolli Pohjoismaissa

Authors

• Voitto Helander

Abstract

This article compares the devices of parliamentary control in the Nordic political systems. There are some differences in the forms of control among the countries of the region. One conspicious difference has to do with the use of parliamentary committees. Their importance in Finland is quite modest, as compared especially with Denmark and Norway, where they constitute a very important device for parliamentary control. In the course of this century, at least four common trends can be discerned in the use of parliamentary control in the Nordic countries. First, the focus of control has moved from the cabinet as a colective body to individual ministers and to the apparatus of public administration. Secondly, parallel to this trend, the legal forms of control have remained in the background at the expense of different means of political control. Thirdly, among the political devices »hard» control means have lost their importance while those connected with the acquisition of information have gained ground. Lastly, the use of those control forms that fulfill the publicity function has increased.