ELO – Decision-Making and Governance in Wellbeing Services for Rural Vitality

ELO – Decision-Making and Governance in Wellbeing Services for Rural Vitality

The wellbeing services county reform implemented in 2023 is a significant administrative reform in Finland, transferring the responsibility for organizing social and healthcare services, as well as rescue services, from municipalities to 21 wellbeing services counties. The reform aims to reduce health and wellbeing disparities, ensure equal and high-quality services across the country, improve service availability and accessibility, and respond effectively to societal changes.

However, the reform has also brought challenges, particularly in rural areas. The preservation of local services and ensuring their accessibility have emerged as key concerns. Additionally, the role of wellbeing services counties in regional development is still evolving, and they currently lack clear incentives to promote regional vitality.

This research project examines how the decision-making and governance of wellbeing services counties affect the vitality of rural areas. Special attention is given to how the specific characteristics of rural regions are considered in county strategies and decisions, and what impacts the reform has had from a rural perspective.

Main Objective:

• To investigate how the decision-making and governance of wellbeing services counties influence the vitality of rural areas.

Sub-objectives:

• International comparison: Utilize lessons learned from Denmark’s regional government reform to inform the Finnish context.
• Strategic analysis: Examine how the strategies and decisions of wellbeing services counties address the specific needs of rural areas.
• Case studies: Produce comprehensive case studies to illustrate the significance of wellbeing services counties for rural vitality across Finland.
• Knowledge base and policy recommendations: Develop a knowledge base on rural characteristics and formulate policy recommendations to support county-level decision-making.

The research is a two-year project conducted by the Centre for Regional Research at the University of Eastern Finland.