Study title

Power Structures of Finnish Society 2001

Dataset ID Number

FSD1239

Persistent identifier

urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1239

Data Type

Quantitative

Authors

• Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (University of Tampere. Department of Political Science and International Relations)

Abstract

In this power structure survey, the Finnish power elite is under observation. The respondents were from the following sectors of society: politics, administration, business life, organisations, mass media, science and culture. The study focuses on institutional leadership positions and roles in the various sectors, not on the persons as such. There were 1,285 elite positions in 2001. The themes of the survey included, among others, career, internationalisation, interaction, power and childhood home.

In view of the respondents' careers, they were asked their main occupation, eventual other occupations, positions of trust, membership in different organisations and unofficial groups, and factors affecting career development (e.g. childhood home, gender). Interaction was measured by presenting the respondents with a list of possible contact partners and asking them about the frequency and the nature of the contact. The listed contact partners included, among others, the president of Finland, political party organisations, ministries, municipalities, army, church, different organisations, institutions of higher learning, and enterprises. In addition, the respondents were asked how often they appear in the media and to what extent they keep in touch with their acquaintances from younger years on account of their occupation. Internationalisation was studied by asking whether the respondents had studied or worked abroad and if they had personal contacts with citizens of other countries.

In relation to power, the respondents were asked what forms of communication they considered most important in view of their own organisations. The respondents were also asked to assess the influence of various bodies (the parliament, representatives of cultural life, the press, labour market organisations, the EU, etc.). Further questions covered the greatest problems in Finnish society and the degree of antagonism between various groups in Finland. The impact of the recession on decision-making was charted as well. The respondents were presented with a number of statements relating to society and asked whether they agree. Finally, in relation to childhood home, the survey inquired about the respondent's mother tongue, his/her parents' education, occupational group, elected offices and party preference.

Background variables included, among others, the respondent's area of operation, gender, year of birth (categorised), province of residence, education, self-perceived social class, annual gross income and which political party the respondent would vote for if the parliamentary elections were held at that time.

Keywords

career development; conflict; decision making; democracy; elected officials; elite; globalization; mass media; organizations; political leaders; political power; power structures; social class; social influence; social networks

Topic Classification

• Social sciences (Fields of Science Classification)
• Elites and leadership (CESSDA Topic Classification)

Series

Power Structures Surveys

Distributor

Finnish Social Science Data Archive

Access

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

Data Collector

• Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (University of Tampere. Department of Political Science and International Relations)

Data Producers

• Academy of Finland

Time Period Covered

2001

Collection Dates

2001-09 – 2001-10

Nation

Finland

Geographical Coverage

Finland

Analysis/Observation Unit Type

Individual

Universe

The persons who are in different leading positions in the various sectors of society

Time Method

Longitudinal: Trend/Repeated cross-section

Sampling Procedure

Non-probability: Purposive

Total study carried out on the selected sections of the Finnish power elite

Collection Mode

Self-administered questionnaire: Paper

Research Instrument

Semi-structured questionnaire

Response Rate

53.5

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

Related Datasets

FSD1090 Power Structures of Finnish Society 1991

Completeness of Data and Restrictions

Following variables were removed from the data during archiving to protect anonymity: k3 (marital status), k12 & k13 (hobbies), k42_1 & k42_2 (parents' positions of trust in the Parliament and the Government). The distribution in k42_2 (parents' positions of trust in the Parliament) was: father N=6, mother N=1, do not know N=23. To protect anonymity, the distribution in k42_1 (parents' positions of trust in the Government) is not disclosed. In addition, k2 (birth year) was categorised and top- and bottom-coded. In variables k5_1 (respondent's positions of trust in the Parliament), k5_2 (respondent's positions of trust in the Government) and k14a_1 (how often the respondent contacted the Finnish president), response alternatives 1 and 2 were categorised into a single category. Some response alternatives in the "province of residence" variables k29_1 & k29_2 were also categorised together. In variable k37 (annual gross income), the two largest categories were categorised together.

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

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (University of Tampere): Power Structures of Finnish Society 2001 [dataset]. Version 2.0 (2018-06-21). Finnish Social Science Data Archive [distributor]. https://urn.fi/urn:nbn:fi:fsd:T-FSD1239

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 Materials

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2003). Valta muutoksessa. Helsinki: WSOY.

Related Publications

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka & Borg, Sami (2004). Sukupolvien valta-asemien muutos eliiteissä ja eduskunnassa. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 69(2), 147-158.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2003). Euroopan integraatio ja suomalaisen eliittirakenteen muutokset. Tiedepolitiikka 28(1), 29-44.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2003). Valta muutoksessa. Helsinki: WSOY.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2013). Eliitti ja kansa. Kaksi eri maailmaa? Päättäjien ja kansalaisten asenne-erot vuosina 1991-2011. Yhteiskuntapolitiikka 78(3), 245-258. URN:NBN:fi-fe201306144023

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2014). Suomen poliittinen järjestelmä. Valtasuhteiden muutokset 1990-luvun alun jälkeen. Teoksessa Forsberg, Tuomas & Raunio, Tapio (toim.), Politiikan muutos. Tampere: Vastapaino 2014, 77-122.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2014). Eduskunnan valta ja asema eliittien ja kansalaisten silmin. Teoksessa Raunio, Tapio & Wiberg, Matti (toim.), Eduskunta. Kansanvaltaa puolueiden ja hallituksen ehdoilla. Helsinki: Gaudeamus 2014, 91-108.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2006). Social Upheaval and Transformation of Elite Structures. The Case of Finland. Political Studies Vol 54, Nr 1, 2006, 23-42.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2007). Nordic Elites in Comparative Perspective. Comparative Sociology 6 (2007), 158-189.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2013). Opening the Inner Circle of Power: Circulation in the Finnish Elites in the Context of Major Societal Changes 1991-2011. Comparative Sociology 12(2013), 255-288.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2013). Suomi murroksessa 1991-2011: Muuttuiko eliittirakenne? Politiikka 54:4, 269-284, 2012.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2013). The Changing Influence of the Finnish Parliament since the Early 1990s. In: Raunio, Tapio & Nurmi, Hannu (toim.), The Serious Game of Politics. Festschrift for Matti Wiberg. Helsinki: Finnish Political Science Association 2014, 177-192

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2015). Elite Recruitment and Coherence of the Inner Core of Power in Finland. Changing Patterns during the Economic Crises of 1991-2011. Lanham: Lexington Books.

Ruostetsaari, Ilkka (2014). Vallan sisäpiirissä. Suomalaisen eliittirakenteen muutos. Tampere: Vastapaino.