You will find information about issues such as civic rights, access to public decision-making, civil society and the nature of political decision-making in Finland. Participation in society ranging from everyday actions to the global political arena is covered. 

Democracy.fi has been created in close cooperation with organisations including the Finnish Social Science Data Archive (FSD) and the Department of Political Science of the University of Helsinki. Several other researchers, government experts and civic activists have also contributed to the content.

Political influencing is something ordinary people can be involved in

This site is based on the principles of Finnish representative democracy. Policy-making is not, however, viewed merely as voting or legislative activity. Many everyday choices in our lives are political. People make decisions as consumers, they work for issues they find important in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) or perhaps act as elected officials in their home municipality. People join residents' associations to gain access to plans related to their neighbourhood, student associations develop schools, and councils for the elderly work towards improved services for older people.

Accordingly, political influencing is something ordinary people can be involved in.

Emotions and actions

People are often inspired to take action when an issue in one way or another touches their lives. There is seldom civic activity without an emotional charge. But emotion alone is not enough.

People also need information about how they can have their say, what their civic rights are, how common decisions are made in a democracy and when they can and should have their say.

Many people in Finland find issues related to politics difficult and distant. At Democracy.fi we are determined to provide clear and precise information about Finnish democracy. On this site, active citizens, NGO representatives, researchers and government professionals write about the functioning of democracy and also provide tips on how people can participate in Finland. There will also be an extensive package of statistical information on the state of Finnish democracy. 

The opening of this website is the first step in the public life of Democracy.fi. For the next steps we need support. Therefore we warmly welcome any feedback.

Best regards, Editorial staff of Democracy.fi