Will the New World Bank Board Member Practice what Finland Preaches?

Posted on April 11, 2013 by Teivo Teivainen

Finnish Minister of Finance has finally picked the Nordic and Baltic countries’ representative for the World Bank board. Most things I have heard about her personality and capabilities until now are positive. This has also been confirmed by my brief discussions with her after her election.

The key question I suggest to be followed is whether she will open new possibilities for openness and support for democratic governance in the World Bank. This means that in these two issues she should endorse what Finland preaches rather than what Finland has mostly practiced. Continue reading →

Recalling Memories of the Mayor who Survived a Recall Vote

Posted on March 18, 2013 by Teivo Teivainen

There seems to be a recall vote fever in some parts of South America. The first female mayor of Lima, Susana Villarán, just survived a recall vote. Another center-left mayor, Gustavo Petro in Bogotá is facing a similar attempt.

As I have always respected her, I am glad that Villarán won the vote. Soon after the fall of the authoritarian government of Alberto Fujimori, I worked with her and other Peruvian ministers of the time to propose a truth commission. Continue reading →

A Keynesian Pope?

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Teivo Teivainen

Teivo Teivainen, Professor of World Politics, University of Helsinki

The conservative politics of the new pope on gay rights, women and many other questions is obvious. His economic policy inclinations are less clear. Continue reading →

New Pope, New Debate on the Role of the Church during Dictatorship?

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Teivo Teivainen

Teivo Teivainen, Professor of World Politics, University of Helsinki

A debate is likely to restart in Argentina over the role of the Catholic church in the military dictatorship and dirty war during 1976-1983. Much evidence exists of both direct and indirect involvement of the church leaders in grave human rights violations. Apart from information gathered by human rights organizations, this been confirmed by one of the dictators himself. Continue reading →

Marriage Equality Law Rejection May Have a Silver Lining

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Teivo Teivainen

A proposal for marriage equality law was blocked today in the Finnish parliament. Among other things, it proposed giving same-sex couples full adoption rights. The decision of the parliament’s legal affairs committee is obviously embarrassing for the attempts to create an image of Finland as a vanguard of equality rights.

The silver lining is that citizen’s initiative will be able to make visible its legislative potential. This could be an unprecedented opportunity for mechanisms of participatory democracy, traditionally not very strong in Finland. Continue reading →

Limits to Openness in Finnish Development Policy: Selecting the World Bank Executive Director

Posted on February 22, 2013 by Teivo Teivainen

“Openness, right to information and access to decision-making are fundamental principles of the rule of law and good governance.” This is one example of the many ways in which the Development Policy Program of the Finnish Government emphasizes the importance of openness. Nice words, but does the government practice what it preaches? Continue reading →

Why Does the World Bank Claim to Be Like a Cooperative?

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Teivo Teivainen

The World Bank claims in its official website to be ”like a cooperative”. It may first sound as if the Yes Men had hacked the site. Yet, it may also reveal how undemocratic institutions seek legitimacy by claiming to have what they most obviously lack. Continue reading →

Foreign Ministers and Antiwar Activities: Tuomioja on Kerry

Posted on January 8, 2013 by Teivo Teivainen

When preparing today’s radio program Kaukoputki I asked Erkki Tuomioja, the Finnish Foreign Minister, about his new US colleague John Kerry. I was trying to figure out whether Tuomioja would perceive similarities between the occasional antiwar activities of Kerry and the peace activism of Tuomioja himself.

Tuomioja’s response, for the record, was: “Peace movement and opposing a particular war are somewhat different things” Continue reading →