NESS 2013, Copenhagen Teemu Harrinkari International Influences on the Revision of Finnish Forest Act: Defining the Framework for Analysis of Different Stakeholder Coalitions’ Positions and Argumentation NESS 2013, Copenhagen Teemu Harrinkari

Contents The Aim of The Research Background - The Reasons behind the Revision of Finnish Forest Act The Advocacy Coalition Framework & International Influences

The ultimate aim of the research to understand how international influences affect the domestic policy process In this paper we describe the background of the ’problem’ and the analytical framework planned to be used in the analysis.

Background - The Reasons behind the Revision of Finnish Forest Act Changes in attitudes: extending the forest owners’ self-determination on their forests by reducing the regulation taking into account the requirements of uneven-aged forestry maintaining and improving the biological diversity of forests

The Advocacy Coaliton Framework was developed for the analysis of complex political processes that involve plenty of stakeholders (Sabatier 1987, 1988; Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith 1993) is based on five premises (Sabatier 1998): Scientific and technical information has a central role in the process A time-span of ten years is needed to understand the change and impacts The main unit of analysis – subsystem – consists of the actors interested in a specific field of policy domestic and international actors from different levels of government are involved Policies and programs can be interpreted as reflections of the actors’ beliefs

About the belief system Deep core beliefs (E.g. religion, etc…) Policy core beliefs Resistant to change, but can be changed if new information is discovered Secondary aspects Narrower beliefs about the problem Resistance to change

International influences in ACF International rules International norms & discourse Markets Direct access to domestic policy process

References Bernstein, S. and Cashore, B. (2000). Globalization, Four Paths of Internationalization and Domestic Policy Change: The Case of EcoForestry in British Columbia, Canada. Canadian Journal of Political Science 33 (1), 67-99. Bernstein, S. and Cashore, B. (2012). Complex global governance and domestic policies: four path-ways of influence. International Affairs 88 (3), 585-604. Sabatier, P. (1987). Knowledge, Policy-Oriented Learning, and Policy Change: An Advocacy Coali-tion Framework. Knowledge: Creation, Diffusion, Utilization 8(4): 649-692. Sabatier, P. (1988). An Advocacy Coalition Model of Polciy Change and the Role of Policy-Oriented Learning Therein. Policy Sciences 21: 129-168. Sabatier, P. (1998). The Advocacy Coalition Framework: Revisions and Relevance for Europe. Jour-nal of European Public Policy 5: 98-130.

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