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Beyond Effectiveness: Finland's SCP Programme and its Uses

This article explores the various uses of Finland's national programme to promote sustainable consumption and production. The study examines the perspectives of key actors involved in the programme and analyzes the different ways in which the programme has been utilized. The findings highlight the importance of institutional clarity and suggest rethinking suitable forms for programme implementation in order to achieve sustainable development goals.

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Beyond Effectiveness: Finland's SCP Programme and its Uses

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  1. “Beyond effectiveness”The uses of Finland’s national programme to promote sustainable consumption and production YHYS Colloquium 25.11.2010 Annukka Berg & Janne I. Hukkinen, HY

  2. The initial contradiction • The stated task of national SCP programmes: “to act as a framework for systemic thought across sectors, driving development towards commonly agreed goals” (UNEP, 2008). • In the case of Finland’s SCP programme, few outputs unambiguous consequence of programme implementation – to say nothing of outcomes.

  3. Beyond effectiveness • Traditonal programme evaluation would provide a very grim (and dull) picture of the programme. • However, in the interviews, experts involved in the process described it in many positive and critical terms that fell beyond the notion of effectiveness.

  4. Network governance and knowledge utilisation • Broad policy-oriented programmes reflections of network governance • Institutional ambiguity • Knowledge-for-action theories: how knowledge moves to achieve some outcomes • Knowledge utilisation, e.g. instrumental, conceptual, and symbolic use

  5. Research questions • How have the central actors of Finland’s SCP programme process used the programme and the process? • What kinds of uses have they anticipated and perceived to take place? • What does the use perspective reveal about the dynamics, meaningfulness and legitimacy of the process?

  6. Research material • 20 focused interviews with actors who were closely involved in the making of the SCP programme • Programme documents and reports • Material about the whole process considered in the analysis

  7. 1. Scripted use • Transforming various programme inputs into planned outputs and outcomes. • Example: the establishment of a material efficiency service centre that was proposal number one in the SCP programme

  8. 2. Deliberative use • Programme and the related process are used to enhance deliberation that in turn supports the scripted uses. • Example: using the SCP committee as a forum for learning, creating commitment and a shared discourse

  9. 3. Political use • Attempts to use the programme and the process to promote one’s own political agenda. • Example: inserting references of the SCP programme in the committee memorandums of the Environment Committee of the Finnish Parliament to promote one’s own political goals.

  10. 4. Ritual use • Signifies that a policy programme and/or process are/is used as a symbol. • Instead of something more substantial • Also the renewal of important rituals and symbols in a society. • Example: claims that making policy programmes has become a way to postpone difficult decisions.

  11. 5. Unprompted use • Unanticipated uses or side-effects that a programme process has catalysed but that are not directly linked to the process and have not been proposed in the programme. • Example: work on environmentally friendly and ethical consumption in the Finnish Consumers’ Association

  12. Results of the analysis 1/2 • Actors outside the government anticipated the programme to exist for its scripted uses • Several key actors within government emphasized the deliberative and ritual uses. • Some of the most successful uses of the programme have been deliberative ones • May lead to interesting and potentially influential unprompted uses of a programme.

  13. Results of the analysis 2/2 • As regards the political uses, those uses that have not depended on programme implementation have been more successful • Ritual use: success in cultivating particular, positively perceived features of the Finnish society

  14. Conclusions • Institutional ambiguity opens up a great variety of use possibilities: transparency would be required particularly as regards the intended uses of the leaders • Rethinking suitable forms for programme work in each particular case: What works where, when and how for sustainable development? • Use-perspective provides a fruitful basis for evaluating broad programmes such as those related to sustainability

  15. Kiitos! Kysyttävää? Yhteystiedot: annukka.berg@helsinki.fi

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