Government Foresight Activities in Finland 21.10.2014 I Dr Ulla Rosenström
Finnish government looks into the future 1. Finnish Government Future Report 2. Description of the Finnish policy-making Every 4th year environment 3. The ministries future reviews 2. New: National Foresight Approach (continuous) 27.10.2014
National Foresight Approach SELECTS A THEME AND SUBMITS A REPORT TO PARLIAMENT 3. 1. INFLUENCE 2. ELECTIONS GOVERNMENT Government Future Report Description of the Finnish policy-making environment for the ministries future reviews THE MINISTRIES FUTURE REVIEWS INFLUENCE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME
4 Government Future Reports
Finnish Government Future Reports Once during each electoral period, the Government submits to Parliament a report on Finland s future challenges and prospects. Parliament Committee for the Future responds to the Government Future Reports. Finland has had this tradition for past 20 years. Previous Government Report on Future was completed in 2009: Government Foresight Report on Long-term Climate and Energy Policy: Towards a Low-carbon Finland The preparation of Government Report on the Future: well-being through sustainable growth started in 2011, the dialogue is going on right now. 5 27.10.2014
Future report process Foresight phase Research and evalutions Foresight themes from experts Regional hearings Analysis: 2030-website Questionnaires Workshops Online discussions Strategy phase Other national strategies and programmes Foresight themes Foresight Future report Implementation 2012 2013 Experimentation
Interactive web-report in Finnish, Swedish, and English 7 27.10.2014
Description of the Finnish policy-making environment 27.10.2014
Description of the Finnish policy-making environment (for the ministries future reviews) Joint effort of all ministries, coordinated by the Prime Minister s Office Crowd sourcing in April 2014 Published June 2014 as HTML5 with active promotion and communication
Contents of the 2014 descpription of the Finnish policy making environment 1. Global situation, where is the world going 2. Economy 3. Environment and natural resources 4. Education, learning and innovations 5. People and well-being 6. Enabling state 27.10.2014
Ministries future reviews 27.10.2014
Ministries future reviews Produced regurly before elections since 2003 Each ministry makes them independently PMO coordinates: common structure, visual style and promotion Publication in October 2014 Selection of most important horizontal themes/problems for state of the art report for the elections/next Government
New National Foresight Approach Cooperative and continuous foresight 27.10.2014
Why are we bringing foresight actors together in Finland? Information What is going to be important in the future Cooperation We need to bring all foresight actors together Communication And make sure the knowledge/views are available 14
NATIONAL FORESIGHT WORK: COOPERATIVE AND CONTINUOUS FORESIGHT Need, vision, coordination Means of enhancing cooperation Use, decision-making Political reviews/ briefs Foresight Group PMO General secretary National foresight network (incl training and international cooperation) Foresight forums (national + intl) Platform to share knowledge? Whole society Govnt/ strategic Research Ministries future reviews Committee for the Future International perspective Government Strategy processes Risk management! Finnish Govnt Future Report Communication!
Means/actors Foresight group: Inspires, steers/cheers and focuses the contexts of the foresight work Secretariat in the Prime Minister s Office National foresight network (PMO + Sitra, all)(meetings and yammer) Foresight forums organised by the network and changing partners as lead organisation Platform to collect knowledge/signals/views: possibly Team Finland/Future Watch, experimenting 16
Building blocks and customers of the national foresight approach The Tulevaisuuskartasto.fi future atlas SOCIETY ACTORS PARTICIPATING IN THE FORESIGHT APPROACH Education Foresight reviews POLITICAL DECISION- MAKING Forums Picture of international situation commissioned from experts 17 27.10.2014
Information is useless unless somebody is using it!