Malesia, Singapore ja etniset kiinalaiset : Kaksi tapaa rakentaa kansallista yhtenäisyyttä

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on perehtyä Malesian ja Singaporen kiinalaisten etniseen ja kansalliseen identiteettiin. Tutkimus tarkastelee ja vertailee erityisesti Malesian ja Singaporen valtionhallintojen keinoja rakentaa kansallista yhtenäisyyttä ja vähentää etnisen identiteetin merkitystä. Lisäksi tutkimus luo kriteerijoukon, jonka avulla voidaan vertailla Malesian ja Singaporen yhteiskuntien onnistumista tai epäonnistumista kansallisen yhtenäisyyden rakentamisessa. Tutkimustehtävä jakautuu kahteen kysymykseen: Miten Malesian ja Singaporen valtionhallinnon menetelmät vaikuttavat etnisten kiinalaisten kansalliseen ja etniseen identiteettiin, ja miten maiden menetelmät eroavat toisistaan? Lopuksi vertailemalla Malesiaa ja Singaporea tutkimuksessa päätellään luodun kriteerijoukon avulla, miten kansallinen yhtenäisyys on toteutunut näissä kahdessa maassa. Tutkimuksen teoriatausta perustuu etnistä ja kansallista identiteettiä tutkineiden Fredrik Barthin, Nathan Glazerin ja Daniel P. Moynihanin, Donald Horowitzin, Milton J. Esmanin, Benedict Andersonin, Anthony D. Smithin ja Stuart Hallin teorioihin. Nämä tutkijat painottavat eri tekijöiden merkitystä kansalliselle identiteetille ja yhtenäisyydelle, toisiaan täydentäen. Kyseessä on teoreettinen tutkimus. Siksi sen aineisto koostuu pääasiassa sekundaarilähteistä: tieteellisistä teoksista ja artikkeleista sekä sähköisistä lehtiartikkeleista. Primäärilähteitä ovat Malesian ja Singaporen perustuslait, Malesian ja Singaporen tilastokeskuksien tilastot sekä Malesian entisen pääministerin Mahathir bin Mohamadin vuonna 1991 pitämä Vision 2020 -puhe. Aineistoa on analysoitu tutkimuksen teoriataustan avulla. Monipuolisemman kuvan muodostamiseksi on tutkimukseen valittu sekä länsimaalaisten tutkijoiden että singaporelaisten ja malesialaisten tutkijoiden tutkimuksia. Lisäksi, puolueellisuuden välttämiseksi, on tutkimukseen valittu eri etnisiin ryhmiin kuuluvien tutkijoiden artikkeleita ja teoksia. Tutkimuksessa on päädytty seuraavan tulokseen. Jotta kansallinen yhtenäisyys voidaan saavuttaa Malesian ja Singaporen monietnisissä yhteiskunnissa, tulee valtionhallinnon keskittyä erityisesti seuraaviin viiteen tehtävään: kansantalouden kehittämiseen, etnisten ryhmien välisen taloudellisen tasa-arvoisuuden edistämiseen, poliittisen aktiivisuuden ja osallistumisen kannustamiseen, etnisten yhteisöjen samanarvoisuuden toteuttamiseen lain edessä ja tasa-arvoisen koulutusjärjestelmän rakentamiseen. Näiden kriteerien perusteella Malesia ja Singapore eivät ole kansallisesti yhtenäisiä valtioita. Singapore on kuitenkin kansallisesti yhtenäisempi, sillä se täyttää viidestä kriteeristä kolme, kun Malesia täyttää vain kaksi kriteeriä. Malesialla ja Singaporella on kaksi hyvin erilaista tapaa rakentaa kansallista yhtenäisyyttä, mutta lopputulokset ovat kuitenkin hyvin samankaltaiset. Tutkimus päättelee, että etnisten yhteisöjen institutionaalinen asema molemmissa maissa on yksi ratkaisevimmista esteistä kansalliselle yhtenäisyydelle.

Erityisopetus muutoksen kynnyksellä - tilastollinen kuvaus erityisopetusjärjestelmästä ja sen määrällisestä kehityksestä 1970-luvun lopulta vuoteen 2008

The number of Finnish pupils attending special education has increased for more than a decade (Tilastokeskus 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005a, 2006b, 2007b, 2008b, 2008e, 2009b; Virtanen ja Ratilainen 1996). In the year 2007 nearly third of Finnish comprehensive school pupils took part in special needs education. According to the latest statistics, in the autumn of 2008 approximately 47 000 pupils have been admitted or transferred to special education and approximately 126 000 pupils received part-time special education during the 2007 - 2008 academic year. (Tilastokeskus 2008b, 2009b.) The Finnish special education system is currently under review. The Reform, both in legislation and in practice, began nationwide in the year 2008 (e.g. Special education strategy document, November 2007 and the development project Kelpo). The aim of the study was the statistical description of the Finnish special education system and on the other hand to gain a deeper understanding about the Finnish special education system and its quantitative increase, by analysis based on the nationwide statistical information. Earlier studies have shown that the growth in special education is affected by multiple independent variables and cannot be solely explained by the pupil characteristics. The statistical overview and analysis have been carried out in two parts. In the first part, the description and analysis were based on statistical time series from the academic year 1979 -1980 until 2008. While, in the second, more detailed description and analysis, based on comparable time series from 1995 to 2008 and from 2001-2002 to 2007-2008, is presented. Historical perspective was one part of this study. There was an attempt to find reasons explaining the observed growth in the special needs education from late 1960s to 2008. The majority of the research was based on the nationwide statistics information. In addition to this, materials including educational legislation literature, different kind of records of special education and preceding studies were also used to support the research. The main results of the study, are two statistical descriptions and time series analysis of the quantitative increase of the special needs education. Further, a summary of the plausible factors behind the special education system change and its quantitative increase, is presented. The conclusions coming from the study can be summarised as follows: the comparable statistical time series analysis suggests that the growth in special education after the year 1999 could be a consequence of the changes in the structure of special education and that new group of pupils have been directed to special needs education. Keywords: Special education, comprehensive school, description, statistics, change

Ihanne ja todellisuus : Jäsenyyteen sitoutuminen Suomen evankelis-luterilaisessa kirkossa 1960-luvulta 2000-luvulle

The subject of the study is the ideal and reality of commitment to membership in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland from the 1960s to the 2000s. The research task is to ascertain what manner of commitment the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland expects from its members (the ideal) and how in reality membership of the Church is realized (empiria). The research object is also to study the extent to which the ideal of commitment evinced by the Church and the actual relation of commitment to the Church changed during the research period. Additionally, those factors were analysed which influence the relation between the ideal and reality of commitment. In the analysis of the ideal of commitment the research data are official documents of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland. They include confessions of the Church, Catechisms, Christian doctrine, joint strategies and plans of the Church, likewise the Church Act and Church Order. The reality of commitment is explored on the basis of Church membership, participation in parish activity and the private practice of religion, likewise attitude to Christian faith. The empirical data of the study comprise Church statistics, material from Statistics Finland and relevant surveys implemented during the research period. The ideal of commitment alongside membership includes knowing the basic tenets of Christian faith and family life based on prayer and participation in liturgical cycles. A member of the Church is expected to take care of his/her faith by living in participation of the Word and sacrament, bearing responsibility for the parish and faithfully discharging his/her worldly obligations. There have been no major changes in the ideal of commitment during the research period. On the contrary, the reality of commitment has changed. Although the majority of Finns are still members of the Church, there has been a constant decline in their share of the population. The same can be stated with respect to parish life. This has its own strengths, among them Church rites, parish activity around feast days and also work with children and confirmation training. However, the general trend is towards a decline in participation. There has also been a decrease in commitment to belief in God as taught by the Church. On the other hand, private religious observance has not changed at all. From the perspective of commitment the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland exists in a state of tension between the theological ideal and sociological empiria. Matters exerting a particular influence over the relation between ideal and reality are communality and varying conceptions of the Church, likewise contextuality and the related private Christianity. Societal change poses a challenge to traditional Church communality. A decline in communality has in turn led to a decline in belonging to the Church. Weakening awareness of membership has undermined the handing down of the tradition among younger generations. Modernization has influence the identity of the Church and brought the Church to an internal divergence. This way it has been able to retain its structure as a folk church but at the same time it has lost its opportunities for the formation of a clear identity. The Church has adjusted to societal change by outward-directed activities (performance) alongside the purely religious message (function). The tension between an unchanged message and a changed operating environment has increased. The challenge of contextuality has led the Church to review parish life, the nature of teaching and activity and the language used by the Church, likewise the cultural modus. Increasingly privatized Christianity challenges above all the theology and teaching of the Church, but also the life of worship and relation to cultural life.

Do Measurement Errors in GDP Announcements Cause Output Fluctuations?

This thesis studies empirically whether measurement errors in aggregate production statistics affect sentiment and future output. Initial announcements of aggregate production are subject to measurement error, because many of the data required to compile the statistics are produced with a lag. This measurement error can be gauged as the difference between the latest revised statistic and its initial announcement. Assuming aggregate production statistics help forecast future aggregate production, these measurement errors are expected to affect macroeconomic forecasts. Assuming agents’ macroeconomic forecasts affect their production choices, these measurement errors should affect future output through sentiment. This thesis is primarily empirical, so the theoretical basis, strategic complementarity, is discussed quite briefly. However, it is a model in which higher aggregate production increases each agent’s incentive to produce. In this circumstance a statistical announcement which suggests aggregate production is high would increase each agent’s incentive to produce, thus resulting in higher aggregate production. In this way the existence of strategic complementarity provides the theoretical basis for output fluctuations caused by measurement mistakes in aggregate production statistics. Previous empirical studies suggest that measurement errors in gross national product affect future aggregate production in the United States. Additionally it has been demonstrated that measurement errors in the Index of Leading Indicators affect forecasts by professional economists as well as future industrial production in the United States. This thesis aims to verify the applicability of these findings to other countries, as well as study the link between measurement errors in gross domestic product and sentiment. This thesis explores the relationship between measurement errors in gross domestic production and sentiment and future output. Professional forecasts and consumer sentiment in the United States and Finland, as well as producer sentiment in Finland, are used as the measures of sentiment. Using statistical techniques it is found that measurement errors in gross domestic product affect forecasts and producer sentiment. The effect on consumer sentiment is ambiguous. The relationship between measurement errors and future output is explored using data from Finland, United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand and Sweden. It is found that measurement errors have affected aggregate production or investment in Finland, United States, United Kingdom and Sweden. Specifically, it was found that overly optimistic statistics announcements are associated with higher output and vice versa.

Substance flow analysis in Finland : Four case studies on N and P flows

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are essential elements for all living organisms. However, in excess, they contribute to several environmental problems such as aquatic and terrestrial eutrophication. Globally, human action has multiplied the volume of N and P cycling since the onset of industrialization. The multiplication is a result of intensified agriculture, increased energy consumption and population growth. Industrial ecology (IE) is a discipline, in which human interaction with the ecosystems is investigated using a systems analytical approach. The main idea behind IE is that industrial systems resemble ecosystems, and, like them, industrial systems can then be described using material, energy and information flows and stocks. Industrial systems are dependent on the resources provided by the biosphere, and these two cannot be separated from each other. When studying substance flows, the aims of the research from the viewpoint of IE can be, for instance, to elucidate the ways how the cycles of a certain substance could be more closed and how the flows of a certain substance could be decreased per unit of production (= dematerialization). In Finland, N and P are studied widely in different ecosystems and environmental emissions. A holistic picture comparing different societal systems is, however, lacking. In this thesis, flows of N and P were examined in Finland using substance flow analysis (SFA) in the following four subsystems: I) forest industry and use of wood fuels, II) food production and consumption, III) energy, and IV) municipal waste. A detailed analysis at the end of the 1990s was performed. Furthermore, historical development of the N and P flows was investigated in the energy system (III) and the municipal waste system (IV). The main research sources were official statistics, literature, monitoring data, and expert knowledge. The aim was to identify and quantify the main flows of N and P in Finland in the four subsystems studied. Furthermore, the aim was to elucidate whether the nutrient systems are cyclic or linear, and to identify how these systems could be more efficient in the use and cycling of N and P. A final aim was to discuss how this type of an analysis can be used to support decision-making on environmental problems and solutions. Of the four subsystems, the food production and consumption system and the energy system created the largest N flows in Finland. For the creation of P flows, the food production and consumption system (Paper II) was clearly the largest, followed by the forest industry and use of wood fuels and the energy system. The contribution of Finland to N and P flows on a global scale is low, but when compared on a per capita basis, we are one of the largest producers of these flows, with relatively high energy and meat consumption being the main reasons. Analysis revealed the openness of all four systems. The openness is due to the high degree of internationality of the Finnish markets, the large-scale use of synthetic fertilizers and energy resources and the low recycling rate of many waste fractions. Reduction in the use of fuels and synthetic fertilizers, reorganization of the structure of energy production, reduced human intake of nutrients and technological development are crucial in diminishing the N and P flows. To enhance nutrient recycling and replace inorganic fertilizers, recycling of such wastes as wood ash and sludge could be promoted. SFA is not usually sufficiently detailed to allow specific recommendations for decision-making to be made, but it does yield useful information about the relative magnitude of the flows and may reveal unexpected losses. Sustainable development is a widely accepted target for all human action. SFA is one method that can help to analyse how effective different efforts are in leading to a more sustainable society. SFA's strength is that it allows a holistic picture of different natural and societal systems to be drawn. Furthermore, when the environmental impact of a certain flow is known, the method can be used to prioritize environmental policy efforts.

Kelan opintoetuustilasto 2009/10

Kelan opintoetuustilasto 2009/10 -julkaisu sisältää keskeiset tiedot Kelan maksamista opintotuista ja koulumatkatuista sekä Kelan myöntämästä aikuiskoulutustukeen liittyvästä opintolainan valtiontakauksesta. Julkaisu tarjoaa tilastoja näiden etuuksien saajista ja maksetuista euromääristä. Opintotuesta esitetään myös opintolainoja, korkeakouluopiskelijoiden ateriatukea ja opintolainavähennystä koskevia tietoja.

Opintolainan suosio on hiipunut parissa vuosikymmenessä

Opintolainaa käytetään nykyisin huomattavasti vähemmän kuin pari vuosikymmentä sitten. Kiinnostus opintolainaa kohtaan alkoi hiipua 1990-luvun alkupuoliskolla, jolloin opintorahaa korotettiin ja opintolaina muuttui markkinaehtoiseksi.

Kelan hoitama sosiaaliturva vuonna 2010

Kelan hoitama sosiaaliturva vuonna 2010

Lakimuutos toi lisää vammaisetuuksien saajia

Hoitotukea saa jo 230 000 eläkeläistä Vuoden 2010 alusta tuli voimaan uusi laki, jonka perusteella vammaisetuuksia (eläkkeensaajan hoitotuki, lapsen ja aikuisen vammaistuki sekä ruokavaliokorvaus) alettiin maksaa myös niille, joiden hoitojakso julkisessa hoitolaitoksessa kestää yli kolme kuukautta. Lakimuutoksen seurauksena eläkkeensaajan hoitotuen saajien määrä kasvoi noin 10 %. Muita vammaisetuuksia saavien määrä pysyi lähes ennallaan.

Asumistuensaajien vuokranylityksiin toimeentulotukea

Kela maksoi asumistukia 1 214,5 milj. euroa vuoden 2010 aikana. Kasvua edelliseen vuoteen oli 7 %. Taloustilanteen aiheuttaman työllisyyden huononemisen seurauksena asumistukien maksatus on kahtena peräkkäisenä vuotena kasvanut reilusti. Asumistukea saaneita perheitä tai ruokakuntia oli vuoden lopussa 498 000.

Aktiivitoimenpiteiden määrän kasvu lisäsi työttömyysturvan etuusmenoja vuonna 2010

Työnhakijoille maksettuja työttömyysturvaetuuksia maksettiin vuonna 2010 yhteensä 3,3 miljardia euroa. Työttömyyskassojen osuus tästä oli 2,3 miljardia euroa ja Kelan 1,0 miljardia euroa.