Finland’s Progressive Approach Gives It Global Distinction

The annually published Global Competitiveness Report is used by world leaders as a tool for shaping economic policy and guiding investment decisions. This year, Finland was rated number one for the second consecutive year. The Director of the Global Competitiveness Program commented that Finland is exemplary in its creation of financial reserves to take care of the future elderly and its maintenance of social support services. For example, almost every local community in Finland has a strategy aimed at caring for the elder people. Moreover, personnel who work with the elderly are highly educated.

International PISA is a three-year survey of the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in the principal industrialised countries. For example, 50 per cent of Finnish students ranked among excellent readers, while the corresponding figure for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) was 32 per cent. Notably, PISA data shows that engagement in reading and interest in reading appear to be the most significant factors that explain variation in reading literacy performance among Finnish students. This, as suggested by the Finnish PISA team, is an indication that Finnish comprehensive schools have managed to arouse students’ interest in reading and, hence, to even out the impact of socio-economic backgrounds.

An increasing number of women in Finland participate in decision making. The country’s current President is a female, and women comprise 38 per cent of the country’s Parliament. Women also account for 44 per cent of the Ministers in the present government. Of the members of local councils elected in 2004, 36 per cent were women, two per cent more than in the previous elections.

Finland’s President, Tarja Halonen, is the first female head of state for the country and was recently re-elected for another six-year term. So she is now also the first re-elected female president. President Halonen also holds honorary positions in The Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights as well as several United Nations’ panels, and was given a 2002 award by Amnesty International because of her successful defence of human rights.

During recent years the Finnish government has increased the rights of parents to now stay partly at home from work until the child is eight years old. The government has also increased home care monies for parents, including those who have part-time jobs as of this year.