Resumen de The Finnish "Eduskunta": Still the Nordic 'Vatican'?
This paper, which is predicated on the premise that good democratic practice involves a legislature that is open and responsive to the citizenry, focuses on the connection between parliament, parliamentarians and the people in Finland. A rudimentary legislative audit is conducted in which the relationship between parliament and citizens is assessed with respect to three core values – visibility, accessibility and permeability. It concludes that to characterise the Finnish Eduskunta as the ‘Nordic Vatican’ is probably harsh but lacking structured links with citizens, the Eduskunta gives the lie to the Scandinavian reputation for transparent decision-making.
