Study title

Changing Municipalities 1993

Dataset ID Number

FSD1191

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1191

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Granqvist, Nina (Åbo Akademi University. Department of Public Administration)
• Pikkala, Sari (Åbo Akademi University. Department of Public Administration)
• Ståhlberg, Krister (Åbo Akademi University. Department of Public Administration)

Abstract

The survey charted the situation and the range of activities of Finnish municipalities. Respondents were asked to evaluate the economic situation of their municipality. They also rated the importance of problems pertaining to local politics, municipal administration, municipal economy, local circumstances and relations with central government. They rated the importance of different aspects of Chief Executive Officer's work, such as promoting cooperation between sectors, informing employees, creating new routines, controlling the budget, coordinating actions, and finding out about the views of residents.

The survey also canvassed a variety of alternative service production methods that are used or are going to be used in municipalities, and the scale of outsourcing services in different sectors. Alternative methods of service production mentioned included privatization, in-house tendering within the municipality, citizens use vouchers to buy services and can freely choose the service producer, etc. Respondents were also asked why their municipality used alternative service forms and to what extent it supports various organizations that complement or substitute municipal services. They were presented with a set of attitudinal statements about privatization and the impact of using private alternatives in municipal production of services. Respondents were asked to list activities that should be abandoned and activities whose proportion of municipal production of services should be increased. Questions also pertained to international relations (twin municipalities, visits and study trips abroad). Lastly, respondents named foreign and Finnish municipalities which set an example to others.

Background variables included type of form, municipality, province, respondent's year of birth, level of education and position in the municipality. There were also group-specific background variables, such as career development, type of employer, experience as an elected official and party preference.

Keywords

decision making; elected officials; local government; local government officers; management; privatization; public administration

Topic Classification

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

Series

Individual datasets

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• Åbo Akademi University. Department of Public Administration

Data Producers

• Åbo Akademi University. Department of Public Administration

Time Period Covered

1993

Collection Dates

1993-09 – 1993

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Political-administrative area (Municipality)

Universe

Finnish municipalities (excluding the Åland Islands)

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Total universe/Complete enumeration

The questionnaire was sent to municipal managers and chairmen of municipal executive boards of all Finnish municipalities. In connection with large municipalities (over 25,000 inhabitants) the questionnaire was also sent to chief officials of different sectors (social, technical, and health care directors, directors of sports and recreation, education and cultural services). In total 1,014 questionnaires were sent.

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Research Instrument

Structured questionnaire

Response Rate

Total response rate was 77. Response rate by groups: municipal managers 79, chairmen of municipal executive boards 76, social directors 79, health care directors 65, directors of sports and recreation/education/cultural services 71, technical directors 82.

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

1.0

Related Datasets

FSD1190 Changing Municipalities 1990

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

The following four questionnaire versions are archived at FSD: questionnaire sent to chief officials of large municipalities (municipal managers) in both Finnish and Swedish and questionnaire sent to chairmen of municipal executive boards in both Finnish and Swedish. Questions are phrased slightly differently in these forms. In processing and documenting the data, the main form at FSD has been the Swedish form sent to the managers of small municipalities (less than 25,000 inhabitants); Finnish forms have been used in translating questions and definitions of variables and values into Finnish. Directors of municipal sectors answered to the questions from the viewpoint of their own sector and municipal managers from the viewpoint of the whole municipality. According to the research reports based on the data, there have been 779 cases, but in the archived data there are 785 cases.

Answers to the following open-ended questions are missing: last part of question 7 "other reasons for using alternative service forms"; specification of the first alternative of question 18 "what kind of international network has your municipality participated in creating" and alternative "other, what"; alternative "other what" of question 25.

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

Granqvist, Nina (Åbo Akademi University) & Pikkala, Sari (Åbo Akademi University) & Ståhlberg, Krister (Åbo Akademi University): Changing Municipalities 1993 [dataset]. Version 1.0 (2004-08-18). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1191

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

Pikkala, Sari (1994). Johtajakuvan muutos kunnallishallinnossa. Kunnallistieteellinen aikakauskirja 21(3), 74-83.

Granqvist, Nina (1995). Alternativ serviceproduktion i kommunerna. Kunnallistieteellinen aikakauskirja 22(3), 211-219.

Granqvist, Nina (1997). Privatisering i princip och praktik: en studie av privata inslag i finländska kommuner. Kunnallistieteellinen aikakauskirja 25(4), 397-401.

Granqvist, Nina (1997). Privatisering i princip och praktik: en studie av privata inslag i finländska kommuners verksamhet. Åbo: Åbo Akademis förlag.