Small Actions = BIG Impact

Among our general policymakers who are path-independent and insusceptible to change, some individuals are motivated to take initiative and bring radical transformation within their organization. Together with our partner, the Prime Minister’s Office (VNK), we see these “Change Agents” as potential actors for achieving Finland’s biodiversity goals. Small actions by these change agents can have big impacts on supporting policy coherence for biodiversity.

Cross-pollinating in the ministerial policy ecosystem

Utilizing leverage points and bounded rationality, our Aalto University Design for Government team is developing three key ideas to foster connections between nature, the Finnish Ministry of the Environment and their supporting agencies. Our aim? To nurture mutual understanding, fun and strong relationships, smoothing the way to cohesive biodiversity policies for future generations.

Breaking the Vicious Cycle

In the ongoing Continuity of Care series, this blog throws light on the crucial role of General Practitioners in navigating the complex labyrinth of the Finnish healthcare system. However, the burden of heavy workloads and unfavorable working conditions often drives many GPs to pursue further specialization or depart from the public sector, thereby worsening staff retention issues in a perpetual loop. Understanding the factors contributing to poor working conditions highlights the urgent need for reforms and remedies to retain GPs and ensure conducive work environments.

Investigating Initial Pathways: Enhancing Continuity

In this blog post, Beste Polatkal from Group 2A shares research findings on improving the continuity of care in Finland’s healthcare system through a “Whys” analysis. The issues explored are major issues like doctor shortages & heavy workloads and it is discussed how better teamwork might create opportunities for better continuity.

Exploring the Vertical Ecosystem

The working title of our project is “Exploring the Vertical Ecosystem”. Just like an ecosystem, we see the different agencies and research institutes affiliated to The Ministry of Environment as entagled and interconnected, feeding off of and into each other. At this point in our project we have concluded our research phase, taking a keen interest in the human perspective of the system.

The Hidden Realities of Civil Servants

During the past few weeks, we dove into the Ministry of Environment. Our interviews revealed that behind all biodiversity policies are civil servants, whose realities are shaped by human interaction and experiences. At the end of our research we connected the dots, which created a picture of barriers to the biodiversity policy coherence we yearn for.

The Dark Matter Behind It All

Cross-fertilisation is interaction or interchange, as between cultures, fields of activity, or knowledge, that is mutually beneficial and productive. Together with the Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Environment we have started to explore how biodiversity could be transformed into all-of-government ownership. How could this cross-fertilisation look between the ministries as well as within their agencies, institutes, and service providers?