On the trail of local welfare innovations in rural Finland

Abstract

In Finland, the rural areas have been most affected by the developments threatening the survival of the welfare state as well as by conflicting efforts to save it. However, there are rural communities that have—as a response to the mainstream policy emphasizing economic efficiency and individual responsibility—developed innovative solutions to secure their welfare. Based on a case study focusing on two of such communities, these local welfare innovations are a result from a combination of external causes and local resources including the sense of community and a diverse enough community structure. The authors argue that in the context of welfare policy, the promotion of local welfare innovation calls for a comprehensive approach, which considers the broader viability dimension of the communities and works towards it in tight collaboration with various actors from different policy fields and societal sectors.