This article is written by Lisa Paterson, Community Development Worker - BC Public Service, Canada

Finnish culture in five words: Let’s figure this out together.

That is how Charly Salonius-Pasternak, senior research fellow Finnish Institute of International Affairs, recently summed it up.

My own impression when recently travelling to Finland to visit relatives was similar. The Finns very much seem to believe that if you leave one behind, you leave everyone behind. To move ahead, you must move as one.

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This is a characteristic shared by many of the Nordic countries, despite considerable variations between each. Common to all however is a broad commitment to social cohesion, where the universal provision of welfare preserves individualism and provides protection for the vulnerable.

Governing and educating

Finland became the second country in the world after New Zealand to give women the vote in 1906 (New Zealand granted universal suffrage in 1893). They were the first country in the world to allow women to run for public office. The Finnish Constitution outlines that no-one shall be treated differently to others on the basis of gender or any other innate personal characteristic.

The 1995 Equality Act requires authorities to promote and secure equality between women and men. It is not unusual for half of Finnish Parliament to be female. It is also not unusual for Finnish leaders to be considerably younger than average. The country's current Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, is at 34 the world’s youngest serving PM.

Only a few independent schools exist in Finland, which are all publicly financed. Tuition fees are prohibited. With no private universities, everyone in Finland attends public education whether for pre-K (kindergarten) or for a Ph.D.

Children who fall behind at school are given one-to-one tutoring. There is only a 4% performance variance between schools at the top and those at the bottom. In addition to this, Finland spends no more than the OECD average on education per student.

Learning and moving

In Finland, vocational education and training (VET) is designed both for young people without upper secondary qualifications, and for adults who are already working. Unlike many developed Western nations which use a very narrow definition of talent based on cognitive abilities, Finnish VET is highly regarded. Around 90% of Finns think VET offers high-quality learning, and 40% enrol in VET after basic education. VET is attractive because it offers good teaching, flexible qualifications, strong employment prospects and eligibility for further studies. It is an example of how Finnish society accepts things on a multifaceted definition of merit. University is not seen as the only valued route to success.

There is no stigma attached to using public transport, which is used by all socio-economic groups — it is viewed positively

The public transport system of Finland is well-developed, comfortable and modern. Even with low population density, taxpayers spend annually around €350 million in maintaining 5,865 kilometres (3,644 miles) of railway tracks to many rural towns. Across the country, coaches and buses provide a comprehensive network of services. There is no stigma attached to using public transport, which is used by all socio-economic groups — it is viewed positively. Public transport in that sense reflects the egalitarian nature of Finnish society, where wage differences are relatively small by comparison to more stratified societies. According to a 2019 study, conducted by the Labour Institute for Economic Research (Helsinki), pay differences are smaller in Finland than in most other European countries. The Gini-Coefficient provides further evidence, with only Slovakia, Belgium, Denmark and Romania having pay differences smaller than Finland.

Caring and playing

Finland offers its residents universal healthcare, which typically consists of a highly decentralised publicly-funded services and a much smaller private sector. Narrowing gaps in standards of healthcare has been the objective of Finnish health policy since the 1980s. It should be said however that this objective has not yet been fully achieved.

The country's leikkipuisto (play parks), made from both manufactured and natural resources, have been popular in Finland for over 100 years. Leikkipuisto are centrally positioned within a neighbourhood, making them accessible to all and giving children a choice of several within walking distance of their home. Interestingly, the leikkipuisto are actually part of the education system in Finland — responsibility for their maintenance falls within the remit of the Department of Early Education and Childcare. They are integrated and valued as a common activity for communities they serve.

Having now adopted Canada as my homeland, I have found myself comparing its system with that of the UK (where I used to live) and Finland. Canada uses a tax system where those on a lower end of the income spectrum are required to pay less. Taxes generally fund social programs including a Universal Health Care System and the Canada Pension Plan. At the same time, Canada embraces individualist principles, such as a capitalist market with little government intervention and has a large proportion of private ownership.

So what use do such comparisons have for us now, given the worldwide challenge of Covid-19? A global pandemic shows in sharp focus how we need to move forward together. What one person does affects the rest of their community. Where one is left behind, all are made vulnerable.

Let’s start a conversation on how we, together as communities, can develop collective approaches that solve "wicked problems". — Lisa Paterson

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