ABSTRACT

The study focuses on the challenges of the ageing population in Finnish public policies related to municipal structures and finances. First, we review how the impacts of the ageing population have been identified and how necessary policy responses and reforms of the municipal division in particular have been prioritised by recent central governments. Second, we evaluate how state grant policy has equalised the financial capabilities ofmunicipalities to cope with the financial consequences of the ageing population. Our findings indicate that ageing is believed to increase municipal expenditures because the demand for care services in particular is growing. The analysis also demonstrates that the state grant system is capable of substantially equalising the differences in tax bases and spending obligations between municipalities. Nevertheless, central governments have planned ‘big-bang reform proposals’, introducing a completely new tier of democratic government and regionalising the most burdensome welfare services of municipalities.

摘要

该研究的重点是人口老龄化对与市政结构和财政有关的芬兰公共政策的挑战。首先，我们回顾最近的中央政府如何确定人口老龄化的影响，以及如何优先考虑必要的政策应对措施和市政部门的改革。其次，我们评估了国家拨款政策如何平衡市镇的财务能力，以应对人口老龄化带来的财务后果。我们的发现表明，老龄化被认为会增加市政支出，因为特别是对护理服务的需求正在增长。分析还表明，国家补助金制度能够使各市之间税基和支出义务之间的差异基本均等。尽管如此，