Papers by Pirkko Vartiainen
fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed
Society and Economy, 2010
Finnish health care has been the target of continuous management reforms for decades. Most reform... more Finnish health care has been the target of continuous management reforms for decades. Most reforms have been aimed at effectiveness, enhancing quality, raising the level of management skills of health care professionals, and allowing patients greater freedom of choice. Thus, the reforms implemented in health care have been wide, many-sided and complex, and they have also overlapped each other. The main objective of this article is to analyze the current status of public health care management reforms in Finland by discussing the theoretical and practical trends used in the development of Finnish health care systems and services. The reason for choosing both the theoretical and the practical trends as the framework for this study is the hypothesis that only by combining these two issues is it possible to create a more in-depth analytical picture of the management reforms implemented in Finnish health care. This study aims to explore how health care management deals with system-wide problems, and what kinds of solutions, or even new styles of governing, have been introduced in Finland to solve these problems.
Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2011
Aim. This paper is a report of a study exploring possible external and inner sources of the sense... more Aim. This paper is a report of a study exploring possible external and inner sources of the sense of security felt by older people aged 65 and 75. Background. The concept of 'security' has been parsimoniously defined and explored, especially as pertains to older people, and previous research has primarily focused on risks in relation to individuals' declining health and functional ability. Methods. In 2005, population-based cross-sectional surveys were carried out in 15 municipalities in Vä sterbotten, Sweden and 18 municipalities in Ostrobothnia, Finland. A 15-page questionnaire (84 questions) was distributed, with the final total response rate reaching 68AE4% (n = 3370): 1825 Swedish-speaking Swedes, 926 Swedish-speaking Finns and 621 Finnish-speaking Finns. The statistical analysis was three-stage, including nominal stepwise regressions. Results. Older people who indicate that they are 'very secure' are more likely to consider life meaningful and are able to master various life crises. Moreover, they possess confidence in economic institutions and are more likely to feel economically secure. Weak trust in family and friends or neighbours and decreased functional ability seem to indicate a subjective feeling of 'insecurity'. Conclusion. Caregivers in health care should focus more on supporting older persons' meaningfulness in life and how their feelings of security can be strengthened by trusting relationships and activities. In nursing, there should be more focus on developing knowledge of inner health resources, including positive life orientation and meaningfulness in life.
Higher Education in Europe, 2005
This article analyses institutional evaluations of higher education in England and Finland throug... more This article analyses institutional evaluations of higher education in England and Finland through the concept of legitimacy. The focus of the article is on the institutional tendencies of legitimacy. This author's hypothesis is that evaluation is legitimate when the evaluation process is of a good quality and accepted both morally and in practice by people involved in the process. The central question is: What are the institutional tendencies of modern higher education evaluation? The article deliberates the many‐sided elements of legitimate evaluation and ends with conclusions that show the similarities and differences of institutional tendencies of higher education evaluation in the studied countries.
Työ- ja elinkeinoministeriö, May 28, 2021
The aim of this evaluation report is to provide an insight into the operation, management and eff... more The aim of this evaluation report is to provide an insight into the operation, management and effectiveness of the security of supply organization in the national security of supply system based on a comprehensive analysis, and to present conclusions and recommendations for their development. The evaluation calls for a broader perspective on security of supply. The experience of the corona crisis has reinforced what ever-increasing global interdependence has led to throughout the 21st century: preparedness can no longer be made from the perspective of narrow, isolated sectors or industries.The National Emergency Supply Agency (NESA) has a strong profile in cooperation with the business community in managing continuity. This work is carried out mainly through so called pool activities. Based on the feedback from the pool discussions and the eSurvey, the NESA can be considered to have succeeded reasonably well in this task. On the other hand, the NESA´s cooperation with ministries is somewhat less consistent. In the case of industries that clearly cover statutory tasks, cooperation with ministries is closer. In other ministries' preparedness development activities, the The National Emergency Supply Agency does not appear to be a that close partner. The assessment report pays special attention to the steering and system of governance of the overall security of supply organization. At present, the control and decision-making system appears to be somewhat unstructured in terms of security of supply decisions, the performance management and steering, and the NESA´s Board's steering role. The report draws particular attention to the lack of transparency in the use of the Security Supply Fund. The multi-annual financing of program activities through the Fund by decisions of the NESA Board does not comply with the spirit of the State Budget Act and the principle of budget completeness. The evaluation report presents three ideal models through which it would be possible to develop the Finnish security of supply system in the future. The models are: 1) the current model with minor improvements, 2) the Security of Supply Agency and 3) the National Preparedness Center. For each model, there is a separate examination of their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, at the end of the evaluation report, there are 8 development recommendations that are independent of the models described above..
Kesä on kääntynyt syksyyn ja ihmisten toimintatarmo on taas lähtenyt täyteen lentoon. Tiimit ja r... more Kesä on kääntynyt syksyyn ja ihmisten toimintatarmo on taas lähtenyt täyteen lentoon. Tiimit ja ryhmät ovat aloittaneet toimintansa ja kesällä vähemmälle jäänyt yhteistyö toimii jälleen.
Complexity, Governance & Networks
Understanding and working under complexity has become ‘the new normal’ in public administration. ... more Understanding and working under complexity has become ‘the new normal’ in public administration. Hence complexity must also be integrated into teaching and training of public administrators, not only in higher education but also in in-service training and educating wider society. This can be done by combining the ongoing research agenda into courses and teaching methods. This article describes the integration of complexity thinking and teaching in one university, both by giving examples on the courses and methods applied, student feedback received and by anticipating future developments. Finally, practical advice for teachers of complexity is given.
Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 2011
The civic engagement of young people can be considered problematic in Finland. Still, the issue m... more The civic engagement of young people can be considered problematic in Finland. Still, the issue might be that youth actually are interested in politics and societal issues. They merely are not interested in the existing methods of political and societal participation. As a path forward the youth jury is tested in the Vaasa experiment. The underlying thought is that it would be something other than “politics as usual” and thus be more interesting to youth. So far only a few youth juries have been implemented and analyzed worldwide (e.g. Carson et. al. 2004; Iredale et. al. 2006). As a result Vaasa youth jury gives strong validity to the theoretical presumptions of youth juries. Participation into the youth jury was seen as a positive experience by many jurors. As a path forward on increasing youth involvement jurors underlined the possibilities of youth juries. Jurors also showed signs of positive attitudinal changes towards societal and political participation. However attitudinal c...
Evaluation is an important issue in all European societies: it concerns all organisations and ins... more Evaluation is an important issue in all European societies: it concerns all organisations and institutions whether they like it or not. Organisations in higher education are not an exception; on the contrary, during recent years, university evaluations have moved in a formal and routine direction. This book's hypothesis is that this development has strengthened the institutional tendencies of evaluation. By looking through the lens of legitimacy, this study analyses the ideologies, models and practices of English and Finnish higher education evaluations. The central question is: what gives modern higher education evaluation its legitimacy? This book shows readers the many-sided elements of legitimate evaluation and ends with conclusions that show the similarities and differences of institutional university evaluations in Finland and in England.
The aim of this presentation is to discuss evaluation as a tool of a comparative research process... more The aim of this presentation is to discuss evaluation as a tool of a comparative research process. My starting point is that evaluation research is not purely comparative in nature but yet often contains elements which will forward the comparative analysis. In my presentation the analysis will focus on the following question: What kind of roles do evaluation methods have in the field of comparative analysis? 1. Comparative evaluation To be able to answer the question above I have to discuss several preliminary questions. My starting point is that comparative evaluation research has to fulfil requirements set to both comparative research and evaluation research. However, my aim is not to give long, separate quotations from the methodological literature of evaluation and comparison, but rather to try to combine these two approaches to the abstract cross-twine. To be able –at least to some degreeto illustrate this “twine” I will in my presentation analyse different types of evaluation ...
Suomalaisen hallinnon kehittamisen uranuurtaja, professori Markku Temmes kuoli Helsingissa 5.12.2... more Suomalaisen hallinnon kehittamisen uranuurtaja, professori Markku Temmes kuoli Helsingissa 5.12.2020. Markku Temmes oli harvinainen hallinnon kehittaja, silla akateemisen uransa lisaksi han oli luonut pitkan uran johtavana virkamiehena niin valtiovarainministeriossa kuin Valtion-hallinnon kehittamiskeskuksen johtajana. Juuri tama teorian ja kaytannon yhdistaminen teki Markusta suurenmoisen opettajan ja kiinnostavan keskustelukumppanin. Ennen kuolemaansa han ehti viela nahda komitealaitoksen paluun – instituution, jota han arvosti ja jonka alasajoa han 1990-luvulla vastusti voimakkaasti.
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Papers by Pirkko Vartiainen