Eturistiriidat ja suunnittelu Mauno Koiviston yhteiskuntapolitiikassa

Mauno Koivisto’s political thought provides an interesting perspective to the relationships between social conflicts and knowledge-based planning in Finland. Elaborating his own experiences as a soldier, worker, sociologist and political activist, Koivisto found conflicts as a permanent and necessary part of society. In his view, the future was insecure, open and controversial. The political making of the future was a process of compromises between divergent interests and objectives. By means of rational public policy, based on empirical knowledge, one could settle the tensions between different policy areas and cope with unintended consequences of intentional policies. Rational public policy would identify and break vicious circles, and prevent dangerous conflicts. However, it should not be based on a pre-defined truth nor on an ideal of social harmony.