Suomen valtion aluerakenteen muuntautuminen : teoreettisia merkintöjä ja empiirisiä havaintoja

Authors

• Sami Moisio

Abstract

This article explores contemporary spatial transformation of the Finnish state. It first develops a theory of the transformation of state spatiality and applies this perspective to the context of recent university reform in Finland. Drawing on work by scholars such as Bob Jessop, David Harvey and Neil Brenner, the paper makes an argument that historical transformation of the Finnish state may be considered as an evolutionary process whereby new regional institutions, regional political ideas and academic theories have been introduced. This has taken place particularly in times of economic or social crises. The article also suggests that the restructuration of state is a scalar process that has taken place though different state strategies which localize, nationalize, internationalize and globalize the national scale. The “de-centralized welfare state” formations that were created from the 1960s onwards were based on the creation of regional institutions (such as universities) throughout the territory, regional political ideas that emphasized national integrity and regional political theories drawing on central place theory. The de-centralized welfare state formations were challenged in the early 1990s as a severe economic recession hit Finland. The new discourse of “competitive statehood” emerged and included ideas that highlighted urbanism, internationalization and high-tech as national survival strategies. As a result, new spatial formations were created, making Finland a “de-centralized competition state” in which the national university network still plays a significant role. During the past years, the de-centralized state formations have been criticized as ineffective and unattractive for the needs of innovation economy which highlights metropolitan city regionalism, international creative class and footloose transnational capital. Simultaneously, the national university network has been under severe criticism. The paper presents a scalar reading of the recent university reform in order to accentuate the ongoing transformation of the spatial formations of the Finnish state and the political process of creating a “metropolitan state” that would be based on highly centralized spatial formations.