Visions of Finland in the Age of Globalization Competition State or a Fair and Responsible Nation?

Abstract

It seems that in the current era of globalization, the national discourse has not lost its appeal in Finnish public discussion. Somewhat paradoxically, it is as strong as ever when the challenge of globalization is being debated in the Finnish press. A closer investigation of the national arena Helsingin Sanomat (HS) shows a coalition of powerful societal actors in the centre, building up a national consensus and a vision of Finland’s future as a competition state. Different interest groups are divided in their attitudes towards globalization and its implications for Finnish society. Less powerful actors see it as a threat and try to bring forward a vision of Finland as a fair and responsible nation. At the same time, mainstream journalism seems to be afraid of political conflict and of stirring things up. Instead, the paper holds on to the traditional consensus-oriented public discussion culture. The present article discusses the Finnish globalization discussion from the 1990s until 2004.