City deals as an instrument in Finnish urban policy

City region deals – which are packages of funding and decision making powers agreed between central government and local authorities – are increasingly utilized in Finnish regional development and urban policy. However, many aspects of these partnership agreements, such as legitimacy, transparency and policy scope, require more attention and research. This study, funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment, aims to improve knowledge about the usefulness and impacts of city deals as an integral part of the regional policy toolkit. The work is carried out by MDI Public Oy and Spatia – Centre of Regional Research.