Miira Niska

SME policy implementation as a relational challenge

The purpose of this paper is to study the relationship between actors, who implement the small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) policy, and entrepreneurs, who are the targets of the policy, by focusing on the question who is serving whose interests. The paper presents a case study conducted in one of the sub-regions in Finland. The data include individual interviews with 10 policy implementers and 19 small business entrepreneurs and two group discussions. The data are approached from the perspectives of discourse analysis and positioning theory. The results are further interpreted in terms of agent–principal relations. The results indicate that one relational challenge faced in the implementation of the SME policy is the proxy agency, in which both policy implementers and entrepreneurs position themselves as the principal and the other party as their agent. The proxy agency can be viewed as an interactional pitfall caused by the incompatible discourses of entrepreneurs and policy actors and the actor positions constructed with these discourses. Besides addressing the relational problems enabled by certain individual discourses, the paper also demonstrates how there is also a need to address the potential conflict that stems from the collision between discourses.

The Societal Role of Evangelical Lutheran Parishes in Rural Finland

Abstract Since the 1980s rural policies have emphasized the importance of public, private and voluntary sector partnerships. Although actors from all sectors are encouraged to join rural development work, the participation of religious communities has been a controversial issue. This article focuses on the role of religious communities in rural development policy in Finland: how the representatives of the Evangelical-Lutheran parishes and other rural actors see the role of the Church and parishes in secular rural development work. The study is based on qualitative interview data gathered from four Finnish rural parishes, combining qualitative attitude approach and frame analysis. The results indicate that, although reservations were also presented, the participation of parishes in rural development work was often considered desirable and feasible, both by the parish representatives and other local actors. This positive attitude, however, appeared to depend on flexibility in how the religious frame and the frame of rural development were evaluated, used and reconciled. The complexities of framing and reframing of parish participation in rural development reflect the more general challenge for the Church to maintain and renew its role and position in secularizing society.