Finland and Russia
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Living Conditions in Northern Border • Comparative Approach: Finland and Russia [email protected] On the basis of a research made during the years 1994 and 2006 Finland and Russia are compared concerning • northern living condition • structure of population • health • the phase of information society • employment • education • economical conditions • experiences on living conditions, attitudes between Finns and Russians, opinions on the border and its crossing possibilities Primary data Inquires to data collected 1994 data collected 2006 citizens Inquiry to citizens in Russia / Inquiry to citizens in Russia / Finland (Kandalaksha Finland (Kandalaksha incuding Alakurtti, Murmansk including Severomorsk, incuding Alakurtti, Kemijärvi, Salla, Inari) Kostomuksha, Kemijärvi, Salla, Kuhmo) Secondary material for research Statistics 1995•2004/2005 about countries Finland, Russia In comparison also EU15 (European Union before year 2004) / EU 25 (European Union Literal after year 2004) if there were not statistics available about EU then in comparison whole references Europe, western Europe, eastern Europe, the world Statistics 1995•2004/2005 about research Murmansk, Kandalaksha, Kemijärvi, Salla, Inari areas Literal references The citizens’attitudes towards the border as a research objective in 1994 and 2006 Social practices Social practices Material conditions Material conditions Cultural Citizens’ Cultural Product ional, economical attitudes towards product ional, border economical Work, education Work, education Social relations Social relations Attitudes Attitudes In order to understand differences in socio•cultural context it is necessary to have broader perspective on changes in socio•cultural and material conditions in northern living areas Living conditions and their changes are connected with the development in a level of state and union (Finland) as well as federation (Russia) and local living areas. There are issues like inner political trends and choices e.g. is the issue on safety already established or are there still continuously threats that cause defence, and therefore resources are directed to that, or are the resources directed to develop other fields of social life in the society. Time and place have a different role in institutionalisation and its speed and place. [60] For example a decision is made that production will be changed to different field. If the income of inhabitants are very dependent on the certain production the change can happen slowly, because the structures and institutions around that kind of production feed and maintain established production. [61] Other kind of production can be totally quickly changed to another place like China phenomena (electronics)) [62] When it comes to socio•cultural change is to be considered how quick will a thought about e.g. capitalism as robbery change when the thought is at first changed on the state level decision and is declared that market economy will be created. Or how quickly will change a touch to religion when previously the aim was to demolish everything about it. About development of information society can be compared, how near are the ideas that EU is pursuing towards a knowledge society and when the Soviet Union had the same target. The similarity is that the leading value was a legitimated knowledge. What is in certain time legitimated knowledge is meaningful. [63] What is the challenge now: to connect the market economy which is based on productivity and consumerism with sustainable development that pays attention to welfare of Nature and equal human beings. When evaluating the situation and the change in both countries the role of media, research and experts must also be considered. The have own context and motives while they are creating and building opinions. Administration The structure of administration is usually a slowly changing element creating possibilities and restrictions to citizens In Finland European Union administration is effecting as a wider context than country, province and local area. In Russia the development of whole federation is the wider context. On the state level the fact that economy and environmental problems are more and more globalising and also the international associations (like EU, UN, Nato, G8 countries, WTO) have more power than national in some issues are effecting on social practices and material conditions. The state are considered to be too small in some cases to face the challenges. At the same time some think that local actors have now more power to influence. [64] For individual the matter is two•sided. An individual can maybe better identify one self with local actors who are near. And at the same time the decision making seems to go more far a way from citizens. One change is a real time news making. It creates interaction, in which media is effecting on individual and individual is effecting on media and its interpretation. •the politics try to get voters behind the issues that he /she represents •and voters can present issues to the politics •In both countries information and its mediation are important to citizens for developing their living conditions Perspective of state: • Russia has republics and oblasts which are rather tightly connected with central administration • according the federal agreement from 1999 and agreement on federation (in 1992) and constitution (in 1993) Russia consists of 89 different administrative units the amount of republics is 21, they are formed from previous autonomic republics and oblasts despite Siberia In addition there are 11 autonomic places (Siperia and 10 smaller national regions. They sign a different federal agreement in 1992 In Russian federation are also ”ordinary”57 region and province. Also these ordinary regions sign a different federal agreement. [65] In Finland the only autonomic region is Ahvenanmaa the central administration directs districts and municipalities When Finland become a member of EU, it gave decision making power to EU Already in 2006 a big part of national legislation is based on EU legislation. In 2008 Finland accepted the new basic law of EU [66] When it comes to directives in EU inner market Finland had done very well by the July 2006 it had only 40 directive out of 1620 missing or fulfilled in a wrong way. [67] The border between Russia and Finland is a border between EU and Russia, too Northern dimension has been a central tool during recent years between EU, Finland and Russia From the year 2004 EU has had border with Russia through Estonia, Latvia and Poland. This has effected to all border policy of EU. [68] 1) Finland is situated in periphery in relation with the core of EU: Nordic dimension in EU’spolicy has been considered to soften the division between EU members and states which do not belong to EU. this is seen e.g. in definition: now there is partners instead of opponents another matter is that countries, which are situated peripherally from the core could define themselves instead that EU defines them. [69] 2) In Russia the northern area is defined by its relation to the central administration of the state. Murmansk region is in special position in relation to the centre that there is situated the northern fleet and military harbour and important raw material. •makes international development of the region more complicated In the region there is the biggest town in tundra Murmansk, which will add the density of inhabitants on the Russian site. [70] research areas have many peripheral characteristics: •they are situated in the distance from administrative centres and capital According Giddensin (1984, 131) this kind of position is connected with power inside states. The power is held by the master’s of recourses and they tend to keep matters like that and the power. •higher unemployment rate than average in the country has been problem in Lapland •in Murmansk the problem has been more the amount of unemployed young people •both areas has had declining amount of inhabitants and raw materials have been taken elsewhere •nowadays in Murmansk own foreign exportation has increased •in Lapland has been created industry based on forestry •Lapland produces 36 % of all water power in the country •[71] •both areas have harder climate conditions than in the whole country [72], but warming of the climate has been effecting more and more on the weather •regional policy will effect differently according politics and their choices •politics are changing Up left offices in Kemijärvi and Salla. Down from left to right in Kandalaksha and Alakurtti. Material conditions and population •demanding •effecting on the administrative solutions Finland Russia area 338 436,08 km² area 17 098 242 km² population 5 255 580 [1] population 143 202 000 [2] • in Russia there are 11 climate zones: desert, steppe, Mediterranean, clement, sea, continental, alpine, arctic, sub arctic, southern continent and middle climate [73] [74] Average temperature in Helsinki and Moskow in January and July °C 20 18 16,6 15 10 5 0 •5 •5,7 •10 •11 •15 Helsinki Moscow January July Sources: Keskilämpötilat Suomessa, Venäjällä ja Brysselissä 2006: Venäjä: Suomi•Venäjä•seura 2006, Suomi: Tilastokeskus 2006, Bryssel: Worldclimate 2006. Average temperature in Brussels in January and July 20 17,7 15 10 5 2,9 0 Brussels January July Sources: Keskilämpötilat Suomessa, Venäjällä ja Brysselissä 2006. Bryssel: Worldclimate 2006. Average temperature in research areas in January and July °C 20 15 14,2 15 13 10 8 8 5 0 •5 •10 •8 •8 •9,6 •9,01 •15 •13 Ivalo Kemijärvi Salla Murmansk Kandalaksha January July Source: Wikipedia 2006; Wild Russia 2006; Kemijärven kaupungin… 2004; Mikkola 2006; Tutiempo 2006. On the left from up Kola fjord in Murmansk in October and down centre in November. On the right from up Kemijärvi in August and November. Areas of Russia, Finland and EU25 million km² 17,098242 17,1 16,1 15,1 14,1 13,1 12,1 11,1 10,1 9,1 8,1 7,1 6,1 5,1 3,968217 4,1 3,1 2,1 1,1 0,33842 0,1 area Russia Finland EU 25 Source: Pinta•alat… Tilastokeskus 2006.