|
Finland Provincial Administration
Finland is divided into twelve provinces: Lappi, Oulu,
Kuopio, Pohjois-Karjala, Keski-Suomi, Vaasa, Mikkeli,
Hame, Turku
ja Pori, Kymi, Uusimaa, and the Aland Islands. A governor
appointed by the president heads a provincial government
made up
of public officials. At this level of administration,
regarded in
Finland as an unimportant intermediate stage between
national and
local government, there are no elective offices. The
country's
provincial government is less extensive than that of many
other
countries because local government manages many tasks done
elsewhere on the provincial level.
The responsibilities of provincial administration
include
police work, civil defense, regional planning, price and
rent
control, direction of social and health services,
oversight of
local governments' adherence to environmental and other
state
regulations, and collection of taxes, fees and revenues
owed to
local and to national government. The provincial
government is
also involved in the functioning of the county
administrative
courts, and, with authority granted to it by the Ministry
of
Justice, supervises elections.
Data as of December 1988
|
