Ministry of Employment and the Economy utilises extensively the views of interest groups

The virtual brainstorming has been a tool for crowdsourcing in the Ministry of Employment and the Economy since 2008. Along the years, Fountain Park has implemented nearly 20 projects for the Ministry.

The results have been utilised in drafting legislation, selecting the themes and measures for programmes, services renewal, to support rapporteur work and decision-making. At the same time, extensive engagement of citizens and experts as well as good communication has been implemented. 

The results have served as solid support material e.g. in drafting legislation, selecting the themes and measures for programmes, service renewal work and preparing decisions regarding priorities.

We wanted to initiate preparations for a regional development decision by hearing the interest groups extensively in the very beginning of the process, instead of in the advisory phase. Fountain Park’s method provided an excellent tool for this. It was a pleasure to see how large groups of people participated in the virtual brainstorming. We received extremely valuable material for preparing the decision on priorities.

We obtained information useful for drafting legislation regarding how companies and other respondents apply the Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and Liability in practice, and on the other hand the respondents’ views regarding how the reliability of a contracting party should be evaluated. The manner of reporting the results was clear, and the results were ready quickly.

Fountain Park’s online working method proved functional: We received appropriate, useful and also critical feedback on how to direct the development work of wooden apartment buildings. We didn’t get any inappropriate responses, which is often the case with anonymous letters to the editor. The results of the online process will be utilised in the resident-oriented development of wooden apartment buildings. Until now, there have been 37 residential wooden apartment buildings built in Finland, with altogether 649 apartments. There are more than 7000 apartments being built in several wooden apartment building projects all over Finland.

Some implemented projects

Regional development: expert interest groups are considering the essential aims of regional development in the future.

Investments into Finland rapporteur work: Citizens and experts consider means for making Finland a more attractive investment target.

Contractor obligation: entrepreneurs and other experts shared their views on evaluating the reliability of contracting partners, i.e. what should be known about the contracting partners before entering into contract.

Defining values for Centres of the Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres): The personnel reflected on their joint set of values and provided current information about the situation in the Centres – what are the topical issues, what should be changed.

Attraction factors in Eastern and Northern Finland: Citizens innovate about factors advancing and hindering the vitality in Eastern and Northern Finland.

Clean Energy programme: communication and evaluation of the programme goals and measures.

Renewal of the development services of SMEs: customers, service providers and service licensors discussed the future of the service needs of SMEs.

Strategic programme in the forestry sector: consumers and professionals in the construction field told their views about wooden apartment buildings – to what extent do they meet the Finns’ dreams of living?

Energy efficiency: The Ministry’s interest groups ponder which social factors allow for energy efficiency to take root in society and which bottlenecks may prevent that from happening.

Further information: Maarit Viik-Kajander