Comparative Table of Parliamentary TA Institutions
FINLAND - THE COMMITTEE FOR THE FUTURE
Impact
The most important impact is »having and using
visionary power«. The committee for the Future is in the corn of
political power. From the beginning the need for long-term examination
of the future also at the core of democracy, i.e. in the parliamentary
institution, has been recognised in the Finnish Parliament as being so
important that there was a willingness to create a totally new
institution specifically within the national legislature. Precisely for
this reason, the Parliament has received a lot of international
plaudits for its own innovation.
When it has worked well, the Committee´s operational model has
been almost an ideal way of creatively and critically combining
scientific and technological information with a search for innovative
new political solutions. The Committee has enjoyed fairly good success,
because sufficiently different politicians with broad minds and an
interest in the new have sought membership of it. What is very
important is that the Committee contains, on the one hand, very
experienced, inquisitive and bold politicians and, on the other, also
ambitious »rising stars« with a thirst for knowledge. It is likewise
important that they represent the Finns in all their diversity of
education, from farmer to professor.
The second foundation stone for lasting success that can be pointed to
is that the aim in the Committee´s reports is to be thorough and
scientifically critical rather than trying to please the public or
voters with showily produced and light pamphlet-style publications.
Lighter versions of reports have been needed for information purposes,
but the serious and thorough way that science deals with phenomena has
not been overlooked.
© EPTA, version 20 Oct 2012; provided by ITA