Abstract
In Finland, the merging of municipalities accelerated in the late 2000s. On the other hand voter turnout is on the decline. Currently, there are discussions to reconsider the operation of the municipality, the nature of citizen participation and the exercise of influence. As a collective and institutional channel for inhabitants to participate in the management of the municipality, a district committee attracted attention. Yläkemijoki district committee in the city of Rovaniemi, which is particularly powerful when compared to similar domestic organizations, has been playing two different kinds of roles over the last twenty years: regional development and coordination of services. The city of Rovaniemi decided to expand this system to the whole city, excluding the old Rovaniemi city center, from 2013. This study points out the role of participatory democracy, utilizing the tradition of the village action that Finnish
rural areas have been built up so far. This study also points out that this has made concrete results towards residents' anxiety about a decrease in services that are available in a neighborhood area.
