HYEON SU SEO Reaching Out to the People? Acta Universitatis Tamperensis 2264 HYEON SU SEO Reaching Out to the People? Parliament and Citizen Participation in Finland AUT 2264 AUT HYEON SU SEO Reaching Out to the People? Parliament and Citizen Participation in Finland ACADEMIC DISSERTATION To be presented, with the permission of the Faculty council of the Faculty of Management of the University of Tampere, for public discussion in the auditorium Pinni B 1097, Kanslerinrinne 1, Tampere, on 7 April 2017, at 12 o’clock. UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE HYEON SU SEO Reaching Out to the People? Parliament and Citizen Participation in Finland Acta Universitatis Tamperensis 2264 Tampere University Press Tampere 2017 ACADEMIC DISSERTATION University of Tampere Faculty of Management Finland The originality of this thesis has been checked using the Turnitin OriginalityCheck service in accordance with the quality management system of the University of Tampere. Copyright ©2017 Tampere University Press and the author Cover design by Mikko Reinikka Acta Universitatis Tamperensis 2264 Acta Electronica Universitatis Tamperensis 1765 ISBN 978-952-03-0386-0 (print) ISBN 978-952-03-0387-7 (pdf) ISSN-L 1455-1616 ISSN 1456-954X ISSN 1455-1616 http://tampub.uta.fi Suomen Yliopistopaino Oy – Juvenes Print 441 729 Tampere 2017 Painotuote ABSTRACT This dissertation studies a frontier topic in legislative studies – the relationship between parliaments and citizens between elections. Legislative scholars have mainly focused on the formal functions of parliamentary institutions, legislative-executive relations or party influence on parliamentary decisions, while democratic innovations discourses often ignore or bypass the central roles that parliaments play when linking the government and the people. The multi-dimensional linkages between contemporary legislatures and their electorates have not been sufficiently explored, although recent years have seen an increase in related literatures. (Norton 2002; Leston-Bandeira 2012a) The transformational political challenges facing most of established democracies have urged scholars to investigate this ‘ignored’ agenda from new perspectives. However, there is an increasing need for conceptual and empirical studies about the evolving nature of parliamentary representation, and the dynamics or tensions between established systems of representative democracy and new forms of citizen participation. This study fills the gap in the literature by providing a systemic empirical study of parliaments and citizens in the context of Finnish democracy. Finland offers a particularly important case. While exercising a strong model of party-based representative democracy like the other Nordic countries, Finland is currently standing on the frontline of political and social innovations. Its 2000 constitutional reform has strengthened the roles of parliament (Eduskunta) and the PM in national politics while reducing the powers of the president. It also established the Citizens’ Initiative Act in 2012, which enables the public to participate in legislative agenda-setting. The study primarily seeks to investigate how the Eduskunta has responded to the increasing public demands for more transparent, accessible and participatory decision-making and what political dynamics have been created through expanding public engagement. To this end, this dissertation sets up a series of new analytical frameworks: (1) a comprehensive framework combining core normative principles of democratic parliaments (IPU 2006; Arter 2012) – visibility, accessibility, permeability, and inclusive and sustainable democracy – with full-scope empirical indicators for parliamentary public engagement activities; (2) ‘Committee Consultation Index’ scaling the civic engagement practices in parliamentary committees, ranging from standard (expert) consultation, co-consultation, to extensive outreach practices; and, (3) five-dimensional empirical criteria for evaluating the citizens’ initiatives. Multiple types of data are utilized: (1) a wide range of parliamentary documents; (2) longitudinal and comparative statistical data measuring the engagement activities of Eduskunta; and (3) around 30 in-depth interviews with MPs, parliamentary staff and civil society leaders. Guided by systemic analytical frameworks, the study presents a ‘legislative audit’ style of empirical assessment on the public engagement of Eduskunta – (1) parliament as public space, (2) sharing of information, (3) accessibility of MPs, (4) media and digital engagement, (5) transparency of legislative process, (6) actual participation in legislative decision-making, (7) civic education and outreach, (8) parliament as future forum, and (9) strategy and leadership. A variety of measures and reforms are identified, from Citizen Information Center, free working environment for journalists, broadcasting of plenary sessions, Youth Parliament, to the unique role of the Committee for the Future. The analysis also includes a critical review of the closed nature of committee procedures. The dissertation scrutinizes specifically the working methods of Eduskunta committees and the practical use of citizens’ initiatives. Through a case study on the Social Affairs and Health Committee and its dealing with the Governmental Proposal of the Alcohol Act (HE 70/2013 vp) in 2013, as well as a full-scale analysis of the Eduskunta committees’ legislative consultation practices during 1998-2014, it shows the committees held to the standard mode of consultation. Despite the advantages of confidential negotiations between committee members and party groups behind the closed doors, as well as a wide-scope ‘functional’ representation based on neo- corporatist mode of associational democracy, limited committee transparency and lack of public consultation channels like e-Parliament platforms cast a challenge on the future role of Eduskunta. The study submits the latest empirical assessment on the institutional implementation of the citizens’ initiative in Finland during its first parliamentary term (March 2012 – April 2015). The mechanism was introduced through a ‘top-down’ project of Finnish government. It has basic limitations of an ‘agenda initiative’ without a link to popular vote. Nevertheless, this participatory institution has been rapidly consolidated as an alternative channel of legislative agenda-setting. New political dynamics are developed by enhancing direct inputs from civil society. Demonstrating the potential of democratic innovations ‘coupled’ with formal decision-making institution, the Finnish experiment may provide a significant example of cultivating a dynamic and compatible relationship between established representative democracy and new forms of post-representative democracy. However, the adaptive capacities of parties and interest groups, and its long- term influence on democratic citizenship remain to be observed during the second parliamentary term (2015-2019). Based on empirical findings and comparisons with the other Nordic legislatures, as well as the UK and Scottish Parliaments, the study finally presents key agendas for making the Eduskunta a more open and inclusive legislature, including opening up the closed committee system and facilitating the role of citizens’ initiatives. It also argues for new theoretical perspectives to conceptualize the changing nature of parliamentary representation, as well as of Nordic / Finnish democracy, beyond formalistic and conventional approaches. Keywords: parliaments, citizens, representation, openness, participation, legislative committees, citizens’ initiative, Eduskunta TIIVISTELMÄ Tämä väitöskirja käsittelee parlamenttien ja kansalaisten välistä suhdetta vaalien välillä, mikä on keskeinen kysymys tutkittaessa parlamentteja. Lainsäädäntöelimiä tutkineet ovat tähän saakka keskittyneet tarkastelemaan parlamentaaristen instituutioiden muodollisia tehtäviä, lainsäädäntöelimen ja toimeenpanovallan välisiä suhteita sekä puolueiden vaikutusta parlamentin päätöksiin. Keskustelu demokraattisista innovaatioista taas jättää usein huomiotta sen, että parlamenteilla on keskeinen rooli hallituksen ja kansalaisten välisenä linkkinä. Näitä monitahoisia yhteyksiä lainsäädäntöelimien ja niiden valitsijoiden välillä ei ole tutkittu tarpeeksi, vaikka viime vuosina tutkimus onkin jonkin verran lisääntynyt. (Norton 2002; Leston-Bandeir 2012 a.) Koska useimmat vakiintuneet demokratiat kohtaavat nykyisin suuria poliittisia haasteita, tutkijoille on syntynyt tarve tarkastella parlamenttien ja kansalaisten suhdetta uusista näkökulmista. On lisääntyvä tarve tehdä käsitteellistä ja empiiristä tutkimusta parlamentaarisen demokratian muuttuvasta luonteesta, sekä vakiintuneiden edustuksellisten demokratioiden dynamiikasta ja jännitteistä suhteessa kansalaisosallistumisen uusiin muotoihin. Tämä tutkimus täyttää tutkimuskirjallisuudessa havaitun puutteen ja tarjoaa systemaattisen empiirisen tutkimuksen parlamenttien ja kansalaisten suhteesta suomalaisen demokratian kontekstissa. Suomen tapaus on tässä suhteessa erityisen tärkeä. Kuten muut Pohjoismaat, Suomi on vahvasti puolueisiin perustuva edustuksellinen demokratia. Samalla Suomi on usein poliittisten ja yhteiskunnallisten innovaatioiden etulinjassa. Vuoden 2000 perustuslakiuudistus vahvisti eduskunnan ja pääministerin asemaa kansallisessa politiikassa suhteessa tasavallan presidenttiin. Kansalaisaloitelaki tuli voimaan vuonna 2012, mahdollistaen kansalaisten osallistumisen lainsäädännöllisen agendan muodostamiseen. Tutkimus tarkastelee, kuinka