Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review: stage 2 - Finland case study

4. Connections between Village Action, the LEADER Approach, and Rural Policy in Finland

In Finland, village action, the LEADER approach, and rural policy form an interconnected network where place-based local initiatives and public policy are often mutually reinforcing. The following are selected examples that illustrate how these connections have evolved through both historical developments and institutional arrangements.

• Roots in Communal Traditions: Finland's rural areas have a longstanding tradition of civic engagement and voluntary in-kind work, which has laid the foundation for the growth of more organised village activities over the years.

• Emergence and Spread of Village Action Committees: Beginning in the 1970s and inspired by the participatory action research project Village Action-76 led by the University of Tampere, hundreds of voluntary village committees were established to promote local development. Many of these later evolved into formal associations or merged with other local committees to pool their efforts.
• National Coordination and Organisation of Village Action: After the University of Tampere Village Action-76 research project concluded, several national organisations - among them the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities - established the Village Affairs Advisory Board, which became responsible for disseminating information and organising national events, such as the annual Village Action Days. In 1997, the national umbrella organisation, the Finnish Village Movement Association, was established to replace the Advisory Board.
• Adoption of the LEADER Approach: Following Finland's accession to the EU in 1995, many local village actors quickly embraced the LEADER approach, which emphasised local initiative and community involvement, offering access to new resources.
• Village Actors in LEADER Groups: Many village activists actively participated in establishing and managing the first Local Action Groups, including serving on their boards.
• Project Implementation and Volunteering: Village associations have been active and important applicants and implementers of LEADER-funded non-profit projects, frequently leveraging volunteer work as part of the project co-financing to achieve shared objectives.
• Memberships and Representations: Over time, all Finnish LEADER groups became members of the Finnish Association of Villages, operating under a LEADER Division. In 2007, the LAGs established the position of LEADER Liaison Officer (later renamed “Development Manager”) to represent their collective interests and to serve as their voice in various governmental and administrative working groups, upon request by the LEADER community. Building on this, the LEADER groups have developed a jointly agreed system of representation and advocacy, independent of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MMM), or other authorities (see Box 1). Over time, all of the Finnish LEADER groups joined the Finnish Village Movement Association.
• Institutional Linkages with the Rural Policy Council (MANE) The LEADER Local Action Groups and the Finnish Village Movement Association are members of the Rural Policy Council (MANE), the body responsible for guiding the implementation and development of national rural policy. Representatives and staff of the Finnish Village Movement Association and its LEADER section have participated in the work of the Council not only as members of the Council itself but also through its secretariat and various thematic networks. Since 2003, the Finnish Village Movement Association has also received an annual state subsidy through MANE/the Ministry of Agriculture, underlining the institutional integration of village action into national rural policy.

Box 1. Independent Structures for LEADER Groups’ Joint Interests and Advocacy under the Finnish Association of Villages

Development Manager – Jointly appointed and employed to represent the common interests of all LEADER groups, foster cooperation, increase visibility, and strengthen shared responsibility.

LEADER Division – A committee of 13 LAG managers with regional representation (one from each major region, selected by the LAGs). Coordinates joint positions, represents shared interests, develops the LEADER approach, and oversees support services.

LEADER Parliament – An informal assembly held twice a year, open to all employees and elected board members of the LEADER groups. Provides a forum for the entire LEADER community to exchange views and, when needed, make collective decisions.

Source: Personal communication, Leena Karjalainen, August 2025.

Historically, key individuals in Finland's LEADER administration also possessed knowledge and/or background in village action, enabling and strengthening the connections between these initiatives. This interconnectedness, as well as the overall development of Finnish rural policy, can be understood as a form of “political entrepreneurship” carried out by a small group of non-political actors in central administrative and/or non-governmental roles, which somewhat blurs the distinction between the two. The synergy between village action, the LEADER approach, and rural policy in Finland has created a networked governance system, recognised as a strength in international rural policy comparisons (e.g. OECD 2008). In practice this interconnectedness has facilitated learning and continuity that likely would not have emerged under a purely top-down or purely grassroots model.

However, the same integration also brings challenges. There is a risk that village action becomes overly “projectised,” focusing more on accessing funding than on spontaneous civic engagement (Hyyryläinen et al. 2011; Pylkkänen et al. 2024). More broadly, the formalisation of originally grassroots movements like village action into governance frameworks may reduce their transformative or critical potential.