This presentation tells the story of Experimental Finland, a spearhead project of the government. The chosen approach is analysed and discussed in the light of recent research findings.

1. Experimental Finland - the Finnish
model of promoting experimental
governance
Annukka Berg, Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE)
Johanna Kotipelto, Prime Minister’s Office (VNK)
TIPC Conference, 4 October 2018
Picture: Laura Rautjoki

2. 2
Disclaimer:
This presentation includes thinking-in-
progress and notes about a process that is
currently taking place.

3. Contents
• The story so far
• The practice
• Analysis and reflections
• Conclusions

4. THE STORY SO FAR

5. • The idea develops
– The Foresight Reports of the PMO (2009, 2013)
– The Design for Government Report (2015)
– Pioneering action in many high-level
institutions (e.g. Sitra, Tekes/Business Finland)
• Cooperation with the Parliament’s Committee for
the Future (2012-2013)
– Ideas on experimental culture met with
enthusiasm across political party lines
– A way to shift from stagnation & planning to
action
– Combatting extensive “normative burden”
– Supporting civic engagement
Experimental culture in Finland - A
short history

6. “A culture of experimentation will be introduced
• “Experimentation will aim at innovative
solutions, improvements in services, the
promotion of individual initiative and
entrepreneurship, and the strengthening of
regional and local decision-making and
cooperation. Experiments will make use of
citizen-driven operating practices…”
Programme of Prime Minister Sipilä's
Government 2015 (Chapter 8, p. 28)

8. Experimental culture as a governance
model for wicked problems

9. • Basic income
• Service voucher
• Regional trials in employment and business
services
• Digital municipality
• Language trials
• (Local government)
9
Government’s Strategic Experiments

10. Place to Experiment – an open
innovation platform
Calls
1) Circular economy
2) Voluntary action
3) Artificial
intelligence
4) Digital skills in
health and social
services
5) Digital sauna

11. Experimental culture as a working culture

12. 14
#DayforFailure (October 13th)
#WeektoExperiment #Accelerator

13. REFLECTIONS

14. • The promotion of
experimental culture a
political goal in its own
right
• Combines start-up
culture (agility) with
policy trial tradition
(evidence-based policy)
– Comprehensive – but also
contradictory
The Finnish Model

15. Evaluation of Experimental Finland –
Initial findings
• Positive perceptions about the promotion of
experimental culture
– Confusion about definitions and ownership of different
types of experiments
• Experimentation too sporadic to benefit decision-
making and diffusion/stabilization of best solutions
• Solutions, e.g.: public sector hub/network for
experimentation; agile, stepwise financing; design for
change
Antikainen & Poskela 2018

16. Testing
Creating
profound
influence
Multiplying
influence
Promoting
systemic
change
4 Functions of Experiments
Laakso, Berg & Annala (2017) Dynamics of experimental gpvernance: A meta-
study of functions and uses of climate governance experiments

17. A way to gain knowledge
about the usefulness and
impacts of changes prior to
their wider implementation.
(Design for Government, 2015)
Rather: A method for
stepwise, (open-minded)
real-world problem-solving
and/or change-making
19
Experimentation Re-defined

18. To conclude: Why experimental
culture keeps on fascinating us?

19. Experimental culture – back to basics
• Reflects paradigm changes
– How we perceive people? Deeply human, materially and
socially embedded -> learning by doing
– How we anticipate change? Messy, unpredictrable -> muddling
through
• Possible contributions to mainstream governance
thinking and practice
– Perceiving the human face of also those developing, innovating
and governing (fear, enthusiam…)
– Taking seriously the tailoring of development processes for the
key projects
• How to experiment strategically?

20. 22
Thanks!
Questions? Ideas?
annukka.berg@ymparisto.fi
johanna.kotipelto@vnk.fi