1st Edition

Technology, Culture, and Public Policy Critical Lessons from Finland

By Kalu Kalu Copyright 2017
    240 Pages 46 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    In a relatively short time, Finland has transformed a society of approximately 5.3 million people into one of the most educated and technologically sophisticated in the world, while maintaining relative political stability and an enviable quality of life among its people. In all comparative measures of international achievement, Finland ranks at the top among the world’s most literate and wealthiest countries. How did Finland do it, and what can other countries learn from the Finnish example?

    This book presents an energized and informative look at Finland’s cultural and developmental history, its political evolution as a state, the foundation and origins of its technology and innovation policy, and present developments in health care, education, and the pathway to sustainable economic development. Utilizing both qualitative and quantitative approaches, author Kalu Kalu incorporates rarely-seen archival data alongside analysis of original research surveys disseminated to members of the Finnish national legislature, personnel of the ministries of education and health, administrators in local government jurisdictions, and members of the general public. The result is a book that offers an incisive and analytical account of virtually all aspects of Finnish life – ranging from culture, parliamentarianism, arts, architecture, design, literature, education and health policies, information technology, to the development of multipolis technology clusters and networks. Demonstrating how civic attitudes have evolved over time mediated by the pressures of technology and modernity, Technology, Culture, and Public Policy ultimately transcends an examination of Finland’s own successes and challenges, considering what lessons other countries might apply to their own intricate national contexts. 

    1. Suomi: The Making of a Culture

    2. The State, Parliamentarianism, and Public Policy

    3. Technology and Development: Public-Private Partnership

    4. Economic Growth, Research, and Innovation Quality

    5. Finnish Lessons: Nurturing Education

    6. Health and Social Policy: Nordic Welfarism

    7. Technopolitan Society: Enduring Value Change

    8. Evolving Social Structure: Resiliency and Change

    9. Of Black Swans and the Human Condition: The Committee for the Future

    10. Finlandia: ‘Our Land’ and a Postscript

    Biography

    Kalu N. Kalu is Distinguished Research Professor of Political Science & National Security Policy at Auburn University Montgomery, USA and Docent Professor at the University of Tampere, Finland.

    "Dr. Kalu N. Kalu gives an elegant explanation on how Finland transformed itself from an agricultural society to one of the world's most inventive countries in just a century. Education, equal rights and willingness to re-invent itself are in the heart of this story. It is relevant even now at the age of big changes."Jouni Mölsä, Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Finland