Coping Strategies and Regional Policies – Social Capital in the Nordic Peripheries – Country report Finland Esko Lehto Nordregio 2002 Nordregio Working Paper 2002:7 ISSN 1403-2511 Nordregio - the Nordic Centre for Spatial Development PO Box 1658 S-111 86 Stockholm, Sweden Tel. +46 8 463 5400, fax: +46 8 463 54 01 e-mail:
[email protected] website: www.nordregio.se Nordic co-operation takes place among the countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, as well as the autonomous territories of the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland. The Nordic Council is a forum for co-operation between the Nordic parliaments and governments. The Council consists of 87 parlia- mentarians from the Nordic countries. The Nordic Council takes policy initiatives and monitors Nordic co-operation. Founded in 1952. The Nordic Council of Ministers is a forum for co-operation between the Nordic governments. The Nordic Council of Ministers implements Nordic co- operation. The prime ministers have the overall responsibility. Its activities are co-ordinated by the Nordic ministers for co-operation, the Nordic Committee for co-operation and portfolio ministers. Founded in 1971. Stockholm, Sweden 2002 Preface This country report is one of five country reports (Nordregio working papers) of the research project Coping Strategies and Regional Policies, Social Capital in Nordic Peripheries. The research includes fieldwork during 2001 in Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Sweden and Finland, two localities per country, two projects per locality. The project was co-operatively conducted by researchers from the University of Iceland (Reykjavik), the Research Centre on Local and Regional Development (Klaksvík, Faroes), the Swedish Agricultural University (Uppsala), the University of Joensuu (Finland) and Roskilde University (Denmark).