ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the structure and functioning of the Finnish national foresight system, focusing on factors that condition its effectiveness and survival. The chapter is structured along the main institutional venues of the foresight system, the parliament, the government and the public administration. Through an analysis of the foresight tasks and resources of each venue, the chapter reveals the venues' distinct roles, capacities and significance for the effectiveness and legitimacy of the overall system. While doing so, it demonstrates and explains the gradually increasing role and powers of the administrative stage, which today produces all main foresight documents largely through the expertise and processes, which ministries also employ in their ordinary policy planning. While the foresight system still does not have formal binding authority over political decisions and its independent resources are relatively limited, the institutionalization and gradual merging of the system with ordinary policy planning has provided it more capacity to exert future-orientation to Finland's political paths. However, the chapter also notes that the effectiveness and survival of national-level foresight activities in Finland ultimately depend on the collective future-regarding mindset shared by established elites, including elected politicians. Therefore, the foundations of the system can crumble if elites, who hold contradicting political ideals, rise to central governing positions.
