Study title

Finnish Local Government Barometer 1997: Municipal Managers, Chairmen of Municipal Executive Boards

Dataset ID Number

FSD1119

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1119

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Foundation for Municipal Development

Abstract

The survey charted the thoughts of municipal managers and chairpersons of municipal executive boards. There were questions on the present state and the future of municipal administration and finances, among others. Several questions pertained to provinces: which provinces were considered to be attractive as regards livelihood, employment and travel, which provinces would prosper in the changing society, which were entrepreneur-friendly, and which were actively trying to improve the province's future prospects. The survey carried a set of attitudinal questions regarding the consolidation of municipalities. The respondents were asked to assess the optimal number of municipalities in Finland and to choose arguments for and against the consolidation of municipalities. Views on the current province division were also probed.

Municipal leaders were asked which factors the identity of their municipality was based on at present, and which factors it should be based on in the future. The survey canvassed opinions on which services were inherently the domain of municipalities, and which services could be provided by non-governmental organisations. On the other hand, some questions asked which services could be left to citizens' own activity, or to other bodies.

Some questions focused on the relationship between municipalities and certain other organisations (trade unions, employers' association, the Regional Development Fund, and regional environment centres). The respondents also rated the usefulness of various bodies to municipal development (e.g. different ministries, universities, central hospitals).

Background variables included the respondents' sex, status in municipal administration, municipality size, and province (according to the previous province division) and region of the municipality.

Keywords

consolidation of municipalities; employment programmes; identity; local finance; local government; municipal government; municipal managers; municipalities; provinces; public sector; public services; social economy

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Elites and leadership (CESSDA Topic Classification)
• Government, political systems and organisations (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Finnish Local Government Barometers

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

The dataset is (B) available for research, teaching and study.

Data Collector

• Gallup Finland

Data Producers

• Foundation for Municipal Development

Time Period Covered

1997

Collection Dates

1997-08-25 – 1997-09-30

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

Managers of Finnish municipalities and chairpersons of municipal executive boards (excluding Swedish-speaking municipalities)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Total universe/Complete enumeration

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

Municipal managers: 62

Chairpersons of municipal executive boards: 55

Data File Language

Downloaded data package may contain different language versions of the same files.

The data files of this dataset are available in the following languages: Finnish.

FSD translates quantitative data into English on request, free of charge. More information on ordering data translation.

Data Version

2.0

Weighting

There are no weight variables in the data.

Citation Requirement

The data and its creators shall be cited in all publications and presentations for which the data have been used. The bibliographic citation may be in the form suggested by the archive or in the form required by the publication.

Bibliographical Citation

Foundation for Municipal Development: Finnish Local Government Barometer 1997: Municipal Managers, Chairmen of Municipal Executive Boards [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2018-08-13). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1119

Deposit Requirement

Notify FSD of all publications where you have used the data by sending the citation information to user-services.fsd@tuni.fi.

Disclaimer

The original data creators and the archive bear no responsibility for any results or interpretations arising from the reuse of the data.

Related Publications

Kansalaismielipide ja kunnat: ilmapuntari 1997 (1997). Helsinki: Kunnallisalan kehittämissäätiö. Polemia-sarja; 27.

Blomberg, Helena & Kroll, Christian (2003). Kuntalaiset, paikalliset päättäjät ja hyvinvointipalvelut 1990-luvulla. Teoksessa: Laman varjo ja nousun huuma (toim. Olli Kangas). Helsinki: Kansaneläkelaitos. Sosiaali- ja terveysturvan tutkimuksia; 72.