"Ist Finnland ein nordisches Land?" – Der Nordek-Prozess 1968–70 als Fallstudie

Die Arbeit untersucht die Position Finnlands unter den nordischen Ländern. Dabei werden die Imagination eines geeinten Nordens und die historische Genese der Beziehungen Finnlands zum Norden als grundlegende Bedingungsstrukturen verstanden. Vor diesem Hintergrund wird anhand der Nordek, dem 1970 gescheiterten Plan einer Wirtschaftsunion zwischen Dänemark, Finnland, Norwegen und Schweden, eine Fallstudie durchgeführt. Zentrale Untersuchungsgegenstände sind neben Fremd- und Selbstwahrnehmungen in Skandinavien und Finnland die Mittel, welche einer finnischen Isolation entgegenwirken und zugleich die nordische Reputation Finnlands stärken sollten. Es zeigen sich positive wie negative Wahrnehmungen der finnischen Rolle im Nordek-Prozess. Zwar beschädigte der finnische Rückzug aus dem vertragsreifen Projekt die nordische Reputation, längerfristig gesehen stärkte aber die Beteiligung Finnlands seine Stellung als nordisches Land.In my master's thesis I examine Finland's position among the Nordic countries. The imagination of Nordic unity and the historic evolution of Finnish relations to the other Nordic countries are understood as principal conditions and long-lasting structures. Against this background the shipwrecked economic union between Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden which was called Nordek is analysed as a case study for Finland's Nordic position. Central objects of the analysis are the mutual perceptions in the respective countries; the means with which Finland tried to avoid her isolation and simultaneously strengthen her Nordic reputation. It shows that positive and negative perceptions of Finland's role in the Nordek process were locked in combat. On one hand the Finnish retreat from the project shortly before the treaties were to be signed has weakened Finland's standing in Northern Europe, but on the other hand, in the long run Finland's participation in Nordic co-operation projects reached a new level and became self-understood

A systematic review of health service interventions to reduce use of unplanned health care in rural areas

Rationale, aims and objectives: Use of unplanned health care has long been increasing, and not enough is known about which interventions may reduce use. We aimed to review the effectiveness of interventions to reduce the use of unplanned health care by rural populations. Methods: The method used was systematic review. Scientific databases (Medline, Embase and Central), grey literature and selected references were searched. Study quality and bias was assessed using Cochrane Risk of Bias and modified Newcastle Ottawa Scales. Results were summarized narratively. Results: A total of 2708 scientific articles, reports and other documents were found. After screening, 33 studies met the eligibility criteria, of which eight were randomized controlled trials, 13 were observational studies of unplanned care use before and after new practices were implemented and 12 compared intervention patients with non-randomized control patients. Eight of the 33 studies reported modest statistically significant reductions in unplanned emergency care use while two reported statistically significant increases in unplanned care. Reductions were associated with preventative medicine, telemedicine and targeting chronic illnesses. Cost savings were also reported for some interventions. Conclusion: Relatively few studies report on unscheduled medical care by specifically rural populations, and interventions were associated with modest reductions in unplanned care use. Future research should evaluate interventions more robustly and more clearly report the results

Spinnen die Finnen? Kulturpessimistische Reaktionen auf bildungspolitischen Pragmatismus

Vor einigen Tagen machte eine Meldung in den deutschen Medien nochmals die Runde, die bereits im November und Dezember für Diskussionen gesorgt hatte: Finnland werde in einem reformierten Unterrichtsplan ab 2016 das handschriftliche Schreiben aus dem Schulunterricht verbannen. In der Vorweihnachtshektik hatte man wohl nicht recht Zeit für gepflegtes kulturpessimistisches Wehklagen, so dass die Angelegenheit nun noch einmal hochgekocht wurde. Prompt mussten die Pressemitarbeiter der finnischen..

Neutralität, Integrationspolitik und Machtkampf: Nordek, EWG und RGW in der finnischen Politik 1968–1973

In the period between 1968 and 1973, Finnish integration policy faced several crucial issues. With Nordek the alternative of Nordic cooperation once more came to a halt. The Finnish decision to retreat from the project has remained one of the great mysteries in recent Scandinavian history. As a result of Nordek’s failure, Finland decided to secure her participation on the Western markets. At the same time, she had to compensate this move in Eastern direction, thereby paying tribute to Cold War times constant Soviet pressure. All these projects were closely linked to Finnish domestic politics. Yet its role for Nordek’s failure has until today been greatly underestimated. The free-trade agreements signed with EEC and COMECON in 1973 for their part formed the nucleus for a political package which guaranteed Urho Kekkonen’s irregular reelection as Finnish president by the parliament. Recently published biographical sources form the main basis for this article