Search results for "Local policy"
showing 6 items of 6 documents
Epistemic governance in local policy debates : The case of entitlement to early childhood education and care in Finland
2019
In Finland, children below school age have enjoyed the right to attend subsidised full-time early childhood education and care (ECEC). However, the attendance rate in Finland is low in comparison to other Nordic countries. Furthermore, the entitlement was restricted to 20 h per week in 2016 unless the child’s parents work or study full-time or unless it is believed that the child will benefit from full-time ECEC. The debates concerning restrictions in ECEC entitlement in three municipal councils serve as the data for this study. By using the framework of epistemic governance, we identify three differing constructions of the ECEC’s societal functions in the municipal policy debates. The simi…
The Relationships Between Local and National Childcare Policies – A Comparison of Nordic and Southern European Cities
2015
We start by comparing the childcare systems in the 11 European cities, looking particularly at whether the childcare provision in these cities follows national provision levels or not. We then focus on analyzing the relationships between local and national childcare policies in four European cities: Bologna (Italy) and Terrassa (Spain) from Southern Europe, and Jyvaskyla (Finland) and Aalborg (Denmark) from the Nordic countries. The availability and use of childcare services are analyzed, as are other factors influencing the possibilities and obstacles of labour market participation for mothers with young children. The aim of this analysis is to demonstrate the significance of local welfare…
Can Culture Explain Culture?
2012
This article argues that cultural explanations can help explain local policy choices. Drawing on the New Political Culture theory, the article combines three models of cultural change to explain the level of spending on cultural policies in Norwegian municipalities. In total, 430 municipalities are studied, and the results show that cultural change variables improve the understanding of local policy choices. The finding here indicates that some elements of the New Political Culture, like women’s participation, seem to be able to travel without losing their content. However, to fully be able to comprehend the level of cultural change in the Nordic context, better measures are needed.
New Developments in the Use of Location Quotients to Estimate Regional Input–Output Coefficients and Multipliers
2004
Tohmo T. (2004) New developments in the use of location quotients to estimate regional input–output coefficients and multipliers, Reg. Studies 38, 43–54. This study compares the survey-based regional input–output coefficients and production multipliers published by Statistics Finland, 2000, with estimates obtained by applying location quotients (LQs) to national data. The consequences of using alternative adjustment formulae, the ‘SLQ, CILQ and FLQ’ are illustrated by an input–output model constructed for the Keski-Pohjanmaa (K-P) region. The results indicate that the SLQ and CILQ both produce highly misleading regional input–output coefficients and multipliers. These adjustment formulae ar…
The influence of EU policy on local policy-making, governance and urban change. Evidence from Porto, Portugal
2021
Porto has long been a site of experimentation in the field of European urban policies, implemented through different initiatives and supported by EU funding. The paper describes the different urban regeneration experiences that have been undertaken by the city, analyses the nature of the policy instruments which have been implemented, and in what ways they relate to local policy-making, governance and development. What emerges from this analysis is a more complex perspective of the relationship between local/national/European policies, which needs a broader understanding of local processes to understand the emergence and transfer of the holistic approach promoted by the EU.
Local childcare policy and the changing gender contract
2018
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the changes in local childcare policy that have taken place between the years 2008 and 2016 in the city of Jyväskylä, Finland, and to study how the local gender contract for women is being reshaped via these transformations in local policy. Design/methodology/approach Case study was applied as a research strategy. Local and national level statistics were used to explore the use of childcare services. Documents regarding the decision-making and administration of childcare in the city were analysed to distinguish the local policy changes during the time period. These documents include city budgets and records from the two municipal boards that …