The document discusses Finland's goal of becoming a leader in experimental culture by promoting policy experimentation. It outlines four goals of the government's experimental initiative: 1) innovative solutions and services, 2) individual initiative and entrepreneurship, 3) regional decision-making and cooperation, and 4) improved foresight and social problem solving. The government plans to conduct many small trials and experiments and make the legal process for experimentation easier. The overall aim is to accelerate grassroots experiments to develop better solutions and divide complicated issues into manageable experiments.

1. Experimental Finland
- Making it happen?
Syke/PPO, 12th October 2016 I Annukka Berg

2. I Valtioneuvoston kanslia I vnk.fi
1. innovative solutions and improvements in
services
2. the promotion of individual initiative and
entrepreneurship
3. strengthening of regional and local
decision-making and cooperation & making
use of citizen-driven operating practices
4. improving foresight capacity and solving
social problems
2
Government Programme:
Goals

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1. Extensive trials and several
smaller experiments
2. Legal basis to make the
arrangement of experiments
easier
3
Government Programme :
means

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Grassroots level
experiments
accelerated to
develop better
solutions.
Complicated issues
divided into
manageable and
monitorable
experiments.
Well tested,
half done!
Experimental Culture: top-down & bottom-up

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• (The promotion of) experimentation
a political goal in its own right
• ”A culture of experimentation will be
introduced” (PMO 2016)
• Combines transition thinking (cf. The
Netherlands) with policy trial tradition
(cf. The Anglo-American countries,
China)
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The Finnish Model?

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• What can be expected from
experimenting?
• What kind of experimental
setting/method is suitable for a
given case?
• Politics of experimentation
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Experimentation as a political goal:
key questions

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Knowledge production
• Does a new planned
measure work (if not, why not?)
• What are the expected
results and impacts?
• Objective: high quality
information for decision-
making
Policy trials and experiments can be implemented
for various reasons (Annala et al. 2016)
Changing thinking and behaviour
• How does the proposed measure
change the way people think and
act?
• Objective: a broader change within
the target group
• Means: empowering and involving
people
Expanding the impact
• How to expand the positive
impact?
• Objective: scaling up of
what works
• Means: resources (funding,
networks, knowledge,
information)
Structural change
• What does the lesson learnt
imply for our current system?
• Objective: improving
legislation, business models,
working culture
• Means: challenging, inviting in

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The Triangle Model
of Experimental
Governance
(Laakso, Berg &
Annala, 2016)

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The fourfold table of experiments
HOW?
AccurateExplorative
”Small
”Big”WHAT?

10. Making it happen
– in practice

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NATIONAL OBJECTIVES
• Finland a forerunner for experimental
culture
• New solutions and business ideas to
develop society discovered through
experiments
• Deregulation and removing of obstacles of
successful experiments
Experimental Culture Into Use: Objectives for
Concrete Actions and Measures
Strategic actions
and measures
open opportunities
for smaller scale
local and
regional
experiments.
Best results from
local and regional
experiments
utilised to test on
a larger scale
LOCAL AND REGIONAL
OBJECTIVES
• New local and regional solutions
with potential for scaling up
• Citizens and communities get
involved in experiments

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The Experimental Finland Team

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1) Gathering, producing and spreading
knowledge
A web-based toolbox, seminars
and workshops, VN-TEAS
research projects
2) Networking
Cross-ministerial working group,
”Kokeilukummit”; co-operation
projects with e.g. the
polytechnics
13
The practical work(1/2)

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3) Creating support structures
A digital development platform
for crowdsourcing, accelerating
and communicating
Code of conduct
Parliamentary advisory group
4) Supporting the implementation of
strategic experiments
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The practical work (2/2)

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Digital platform for experiments
• We need a tool for
• Funding small experiments
• Enabling crowdsourcing of
resources
• Enable sharing of LESSONS
learned (“OPPI”)
• Enable accelerating good
solutions (“KIIHDYTTÄMÖ”),
copying and SCALING UP
(“SKAALAUS”) of what works
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• Basic income experiment to be implemented in 2017–2018
• Goal: To obtain information on the effects of basic income on the employment of persons
participating in the experiment, and to survey other impacts of basic income.
• Level of basic income: EUR 560 €/month, tax free benefit. According to calculations, this
should produce an adequate incentive effect encouraging to accept temporary and part-
time work.
• Target group: Persons between 25 and 58 years of age living in Finland who in
November 2016 receive basic daily allowance or labour market support under the
Unemployment Security Act.
(More information on the on-going study on the subject, supporting the planning phase:
http://www.kela.fi/web/en/experimental-study-on-a-universal-basic-income)
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Basic Income Experiment in a nutshell

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#DayforFailure 13.10.2016
#herozerohero

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• Behavioral science in policy design 26.10.2016 klo
13-16, Tieteiden talo, Hki
• Kokeiluaamukahvit, Valtimo, Kirkkokatu 14, Hki
• 2.11. klo 8.30-10 Kokeilujen muotoilu, tekeminen ja tilaamien
• 15.12. klo 8.30-10 Challenget ja hackathonit ratkaisujen
tuottamisen välineinä
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Other forthcoming events

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• Order the newsletter:
kokeilevasuomi.fi
• Write a blog or send material to the
toolbox
• annukka.berg@vnk.fi
• Join ”Kokeilukummit”
• kokeilut@vnk.fi
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Join the movement

21. Well tested – half done

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Nothing ventured –
nothing gained

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Renewing Finland
together

24. Thank you!
kokeilevasuomi.fi
@Kokeilevasuomi
#kokeilut #kokeilevasuomi
kokeilut@vnk.fi