0000000000494377
AUTHOR
Marjukka Weide
The participation paradox: demand for and fear of immigrant participation
In this paper, we address the ambivalence in European immigrant integration discourses toward the political participation of immigrants. We show how this ambivalence manifests in what we call a ‘participation paradox’, which is constituted by two apparently conflicting, but potentially mutually reinforcing characteristics of the discourse. The first emphasizes the need for immigrants to be active in order to attain a well-integrated society and well-functioning democratic polity; the second is a call for the protection of liberal democratic institutions from the alleged ‘illiberal threats’ that migrants pose to society. Immigrant participation is thus both demanded and feared. Using illustr…
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered with Trust: Non-Resident Citizens’ Experiences of Newly Adopted Postal Voting
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that the traditional “booth, ballot, and pen” model of voting, based on a specific location and physical presence, may not be feasible during a health crisis. This situation has highlighted the need to assess whether existing national electoral legislation includes enough instruments to ensure citizens’ safety during voting procedures, even under the conditions of a global pandemic. Such instruments, often grouped under the umbrella of voter facilitation or convenience voting, range from voting in advance and various forms of absentee voting (postal, online, and proxy voting) to assisted voting and voting at home and in hospitals and other healthcare …
Laaja kyselyaineisto ulkosuomalaisten poliittisesta osallistumisesta
Vaikka ulkosuomalaisten määrä on ollut tasaisessa kasvussa viimeisten parinkymmenen vuoden ajan, heidän poliittinen painoarvonsa on säilynyt vähäisenä. Ulkomailla asuu yli 250 000 äänioikeutettua, mutta vain noin kymmenen prosenttia heistä äänestää Suomen vaaleissa. Kevään 2019 eduskuntavaaleissa oli ensimmäistä kertaa mahdollista äänestää kirjeitse ulkomailta. Muiden maiden kokemusten perusteella voidaan odottaa, että kirjeäänestys tulee pitkällä aikavälillä vaikuttamaan myönteisesti ulkomailla asuvien äänioikeutettujen äänestysaktiivisuuteen. Helsingin yliopistossa käynnissä olevassa tutkimushankkeessa toteutettiin kevään vaalien jälkeen laaja kyselytutkimus, johon vastasi 2 100 ulkomaill…
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered with Trust: Non-Resident Citizens’ Experiences of Newly Adopted Postal Voting
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that the traditional “booth, ballot, and pen” model of voting, based on a specific location and physical presence, may not be feasible during a health crisis. This situation has highlighted the need to assess whether existing national electoral legislation includes enough instruments to ensure citizens’ safety during voting procedures, even under the conditions of a global pandemic. Such instruments, often grouped under the umbrella of voter facilitation or convenience voting, range from voting in advance and various forms of absentee voting (postal, online, and proxy voting) to assisted voting and voting at home and in hospitals and other healthcare …
The political potential of migrants is often overlooked in discussions around integration
In a recent study, Hanna Wass, Päivi Pirkkalainen and Marjukka Weide drew on the Somali community in Finland as a case study to consider immigrants as a political resource. They found that turnout among Somali‐born voters was only slightly lower than native citizens, and that their engagement in civic associations is highly dynamic and diverse. The results demonstrate that political potential of immigrants is often overlooked and highlight that economic and social inclusion are closely intertwined with political inclusion. nonPeerReviewed
Kotoutumiskoulutuksen opetussuunnitelman perusteet kuvaa tavoitettaan osallisuutta epämääräisesti ja kapeasti
Kotoutumiskoulutuksen uudessa perusteasiakirjassa korostuu osallisuuden käsite. Se jää kuitenkin määrittelemättä: osallisuuteen viitataan sekä kapearajaisesti työmarkkinaosallisuutena että epäsuorasti niin, että käsitteen varsinainen merkitys jää avoimeksi. Tutkimuskirjallisuudessa osallisuus edellyttää laaja-alaista sosiaalis-yhteiskunnallista kuulumista ja yhdenvertaisuutta. nonPeerReviewed
Practicing Ballot Secrecy: Postal Voting and the Witness Requirement at the 2019 Finnish Elections
Electoral rights belong to the core of citizenship in democratic nation-states. Voting, then, represents an actualization of the relationship between the citizen and the political community. For citizens living outside the country in which they are eligible to vote, voting signifies a rare institutional connection to the country of origin. The aim of this article is to explore the introduction of the postal vote, a new form of voting for external voters at Finnish elections, from the grassroots perspective. The study focuses on how a central policy concern, safeguarding ballot secrecy, was resolved in the policy implementation by the witness requirement, and how the individual voters subseq…
Practicing Ballot Secrecy : Postal Voting and the Witness Requirement at the 2019 Finnish Elections
Electoral rights belong to the core of citizenship in democratic nation-states. Voting, then, represents an actualization of the relationship between the citizen and the political community. For citizens living outside the country in which they are eligible to vote, voting signifies a rare institutional connection to the country of origin. The aim of this article is to explore the introduction of the postal vote, a new form of voting for external voters at Finnish elections, from the grassroots perspective. The study focuses on how a central policy concern, safeguarding ballot secrecy, was resolved in the policy implementation by the witness requirement, and how the individual voters subseq…