Social Europe

politics, economy and employment & labour

  • Themes
    • Strategic autonomy
    • War in Ukraine
    • European digital sphere
    • Recovery and resilience
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Dossiers
    • Occasional Papers
    • Research Essays
    • Brexit Paper Series
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Newsletter

Embedding sustainability in a government programme

Johanna Juselius 25th January 2023

Sustainability is a global task largely to be delivered by national governments. What can they learn from the leader—Finland?

sustainability,SDGs,Finland
In integrating ecology concretely into its operation, Finland’s government led by Sanna Marin merits wider European engagement (Nicole Mess / shutterstock.com)

The title of the Finnish government programme, Inclusive and competent Finland—a socially, economically and ecologically sustainable society, makes clear that sustainable development is at its core. This goal is not only ambitious but has been threatened by global turmoil, from the pandemic and Russia’s war in Ukraine to escalating energy and food prices. So is the government delivering?

There are two ways to answer this question. The theory-of-change approach, emerging from the literature on the management of not-for-profit organisations, focuses attention on whether the government has a coherent plan of implementation. Theory of change has been described as ‘essentially a comprehensive description and an illustration of why and how a desired change is going to happen in a given context’. It is a useful analytical tool to evaluate complex challenges, such as the development issues first recognised in the United Nations Charter.

It is often said that governments work in a more complex environment today, as economies and societies become more integrated and the amount of information increases. This strains governments’ capacities. Successful implementation of a programme thus requires effective use of administrative capacities. The governance-capacity approach, of Martin Lodge and Kai Wegrich, addresses whether the government has these capacities, in terms of analysis, regulation, delivery and co-ordination.

Systematically monitored

The UN sustainable-development goals (SDGs) in its Agenda 2030 provide a wide knowledge base, larger than one government’s endeavours. Their implementation in Finland is monitored by a set of indicators, developed since 2017. The prime minister chairs the National Commission on Sustainable Development, with the environment minister a vice-chair.


Our job is keeping you informed!


Subscribe to our free newsletter and stay up to date with the latest Social Europe content. We will never send you spam and you can unsubscribe anytime.

Sign up here

An expert panel informs the discussion, while stakeholders such as businesses, schools or simply individuals agree to sustainable-development commitments. The SDGs are systematically monitored in the government administration. Ministries provide information to a report in May every year on how the goals are being met.

So Finns know the SDGs pretty well: a 2017 Eurobarometer survey found that 73 per cent had heard or read about them. By comparison, this was true of only 24 per cent of citizens of the United Kingdom. Indeed, the country has a long history of engagement with the SDGs before the current (2019-23) government programme.

Finland continuously tops the international rankings of SDGs implementation, as recorded by the UN. It is not alone in having an SDGs strategy but in addition there is the strong focus on the goals in the overall national programme. This sends a strong message about the policies government expects to be implemented. The European Union has a pivotal impact on the Finnish political agenda and its efforts on sustainability support Finland’s goals.

The Finnish political system is pluralistic, with several strong parties. The government, elected in 2019, is a coalition of five: the Social Democrats, the Centre Party, the Left Alliance, the Swedish Party and the Greens. The prime minister, Sanna Marin, is a social democrat.

Carbon-neutral by 2035

Finland has been weak in certain areas of the SDGs, with a lack of agility especially in regulation. The progamme however made commitments to legislate and the Climate Change Act, which came into force in 2022, requires that Finland be carbon-neutral by 2035, with further goals sets for 2040 and 2050. This regulatory strengthening is a major improvement when it comes to implementation.

The government monitors implementation of the programme with a monthly report on progress. By June last year, 70 per cent of the associated work plan had been realised (around 20 per cent of goals concern the government as a whole and will not be completed until the end of its term in June).

The budget for 2022, of €64.8 billion, committing to ‘sustainable growth for the future’, covered areas of economic, social and ecological sustainability outlined in the programme. Due to its traditions, the coalition can fairly easily show such dedication to sustainability objectives and there is common understanding of their importance among the public and the politicians.

Dual approach

Other countries would benefit from applying Finland’s dual approach to sustainability—systematic work with a wide range of stakeholders through the national commission, combined with the government programme. The SDGs terminology in the programme cements the parties behind it.


We need your support


Social Europe is an independent publisher and we believe in freely available content. For this model to be sustainable, however, we depend on the solidarity of our readers. Become a Social Europe member for less than 5 Euro per month and help us produce more articles, podcasts and videos. Thank you very much for your support!

Become a Social Europe Member

Finland ought to embed this long-term, enduring commitment to sustainabledevelopment. It should continue to develop successful mechanisms, such as sustainable budgeting, and increase ‘mission’-focused investment to support the green and digital transitions. It can ensure that the historically high expenditure on research and development to which it is committed—4 per cent of gross domestic product by 2030—is adequately allocated to sustainable projects and investments.

This commitment would take the public sector’s capacities to a new level when it comes to sustainability, while private-sector investment can boost sustainable growth. Active and open dialogue between the government and key industries is required.

Flexible yet resilient

Governing as a majority coalition is not a hindrance but a help. A programme made in an agreement among partners can be flexible yet resilient in such turbulent times as these. Nor should this momentum be dissipated: it finds an echo in public awareness and helps keep the agenda relevant for parties preparing their next electoral and programmatic pitches.

The formation of the government in 2019 was actually very recognisable according to the theory-of-change perspective. It was an open, evidence-based dialogue in which long-term-objectives and concrete ways to realise them were identified among the negotiators, to create a programme with bold vision and a narrative on which all agreed. This approach is still a work in progress.

Finland benefits from highly efficient governance, its public administration generally trusted by politicians to produce outcomes. Indeed high trust in government and public support are features of the Finnish system. Further change requires enhancing administrative capabilities and investments.

The Finnish government can assure in this way its capacities to solve such a key strategic issue as sustainability. It now needs to join with other countries to pursue capacity-building in the international arena to tackle the global challenge.

Johanna Juselius
Johanna Juselius

Johanna Juselius is a special adviser to the minister of communication and transport in Finland, Timo Harakka. This does not however represent an official view.

You are here: Home / Ecology / Embedding sustainability in a government programme

Most Popular Posts

European civil war,iron curtain,NATO,Ukraine,Gorbachev The new European civil warGuido Montani
Visentini,ITUC,Qatar,Fight Impunity,50,000 Visentini, ‘Fight Impunity’, the ITUC and QatarFrank Hoffer
Russian soldiers' mothers,war,Ukraine The Ukraine war and Russian soldiers’ mothersJennifer Mathers and Natasha Danilova
IGU,documents,International Gas Union,lobby,lobbying,sustainable finance taxonomy,green gas,EU,COP ‘Gaslighting’ Europe on fossil fuelsFaye Holder
Schengen,Fortress Europe,Romania,Bulgaria Romania and Bulgaria stuck in EU’s second tierMagdalena Ulceluse

Most Recent Posts

European civil war,iron curtain,NATO,Ukraine,Gorbachev The new European civil warGuido Montani
artists,cultural workers Europe’s stars must shine for artists and creativesIsabelle Van de Gejuchte
transition,deindustrialisation,degradation,environment Europe’s industry and the ecological transitionCharlotte Bez and Lorenzo Feltrin
central and eastern Europe,unions,recognition Social dialogue in central and eastern EuropeMartin Myant
women soldiers,Ukraine Ukraine war: attitudes changing to women soldiersJennifer Mathers and Anna Kvit

Other Social Europe Publications

front cover scaled Towards a social-democratic century?
Cover e1655225066994 National recovery and resilience plans
Untitled design The transatlantic relationship
Women Corona e1631700896969 500 Women and the coronavirus crisis
sere12 1 RE No. 12: Why No Economic Democracy in Sweden?

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

Discover the new FEPS Progressive Yearbook and what 2023 has in store for us!

The Progressive Yearbook focuses on transversal European issues that have left a mark on 2022, delivering insightful future-oriented analysis for the new year. It counts on renowned authors' contributions, including academics, politicians and analysts. This fourth edition is published in a time of war and, therefore, it mostly looks at the conflict itself, the actors involved and the implications for Europe.


DOWNLOAD HERE

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

The macroeconomic effects of re-applying the EU fiscal rules

Against the background of the European Commission's reform plans for the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP), this policy brief uses the macroeconometric multi-country model NiGEM to simulate the macroeconomic implications of the most relevant reform options from 2024 onwards. Next to a return to the existing and unreformed rules, the most prominent options include an expenditure rule linked to a debt anchor.

Our results for the euro area and its four biggest economies—France, Italy, Germany and Spain—indicate that returning to the rules of the SGP would lead to severe cuts in public spending, particularly if the SGP rules were interpreted as in the past. A more flexible interpretation would only somewhat ease the fiscal-adjustment burden. An expenditure rule along the lines of the European Fiscal Board would, however, not necessarily alleviate that burden in and of itself.

Our simulations show great care must be taken to specify the expenditure rule, such that fiscal consolidation is achieved in a growth-friendly way. Raising the debt ceiling to 90 per cent of gross domestic product and applying less demanding fiscal adjustments, as proposed by the IMK, would go a long way.


DOWNLOAD HERE

ILO advertisement

Global Wage Report 2022-23: The impact of inflation and COVID-19 on wages and purchasing power

The International Labour Organization's Global Wage Report is a key reference on wages and wage inequality for the academic community and policy-makers around the world.

This eighth edition of the report, The Impact of inflation and COVID-19 on wages and purchasing power, examines the evolution of real wages, giving a unique picture of wage trends globally and by region. The report includes evidence on how wages have evolved through the COVID-19 crisis as well as how the current inflationary context is biting into real wage growth in most regions of the world. The report shows that for the first time in the 21st century real wage growth has fallen to negative values while, at the same time, the gap between real productivity growth and real wage growth continues to widen.

The report analysis the evolution of the real total wage bill from 2019 to 2022 to show how its different components—employment, nominal wages and inflation—have changed during the COVID-19 crisis and, more recently, during the cost-of-living crisis. The decomposition of the total wage bill, and its evolution, is shown for all wage employees and distinguishes between women and men. The report also looks at changes in wage inequality and the gender pay gap to reveal how COVID-19 may have contributed to increasing income inequality in different regions of the world. Together, the empirical evidence in the report becomes the backbone of a policy discussion that could play a key role in a human-centred recovery from the different ongoing crises.


DOWNLOAD HERE

ETUI advertisement

Social policy in the European Union: state of play 2022

Since 2000, the annual Bilan social volume has been analysing the state of play of social policy in the European Union during the preceding year, the better to forecast developments in the new one. Co-produced by the European Social Observatory (OSE) and the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), the new edition is no exception. In the context of multiple crises, the authors find that social policies gained in ambition in 2022. At the same time, the new EU economic framework, expected for 2023, should be made compatible with achieving the EU’s social and ‘green’ objectives. Finally, they raise the question whether the EU Social Imbalances Procedure and Open Strategic Autonomy paradigm could provide windows of opportunity to sustain the EU’s social ambition in the long run.


DOWNLOAD HERE

Eurofound advertisement

Eurofound webinar: Making telework work for everyone

Since 2020 more European workers and managers have enjoyed greater flexibility and autonomy in work and are reporting their preference for hybrid working. Also driven by technological developments and structural changes in employment, organisations are now integrating telework more permanently into their workplace.

To reflect on these shifts, on 6 December Eurofound researchers Oscar Vargas and John Hurley explored the challenges and opportunities of the surge in telework, as well as the overall growth of telework and teleworkable jobs in the EU and what this means for workers, managers, companies and policymakers.


WATCH THE WEBINAR HERE

About Social Europe

Our Mission

Article Submission

Membership

Advertisements

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641

Social Europe Archives

Search Social Europe

Themes Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

Follow us

RSS Feed

Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

Follow us on LinkedIn

Follow us on YouTube