Abstract
In Finland, local government law was amended in 2015. The aims of the amendment were to secure economic sustainability, to improve administration methods and to strengthen democracy. Concerning the strengthening of democracy, there were reforms in the way citizens participate. The revised law suggested that regional committees could be established for local government. In this paper, we address the district committee established by Rovaniemi city. We examine how the municipality guarantees the rights of participation, exercises its influence, and the challenges it has faced. This was done through a field survey and a review of the literature. In the survey, conducted by Rovaniemi city right after the district committee was founded, there was a positive evaluation of the idea of a district committee and its significance. However, in 2015 with the end of the trial period approaching, the rapporteur is afraid that the expense and the length of time for decision-making threaten the continuation of the district committee. From this case study of the Rovaniemi City district committee, the difficulties of implementing neighborhood democracy are revealed.
