Annukka Valkeapää - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Annukka Valkeapää

Metsätieteen aikakauskirja, Dec 31, 2022

Forest Policy and Economics, Mar 1, 2013

The goal of forest policy is to enhance sustainable production of the material and immaterial ben... more The goal of forest policy is to enhance sustainable production of the material and immaterial benefits of forests to serve the needs of all citizens. A theoretical model for explaining the formation of legitimacy in a certain political sector was developed and empirically tested in the context of Finnish forest policy. Nationwide mail survey data was used to determine the differences in the perceptions of forest policy by Finnish forest owners and other citizens. The questionnaire measured the legitimacy of the forest policy, the acceptance of laws, the justice of the procedures, the fairness of power relations, the acceptance of forestry operations and the competence in forest policy issues. Overall legitimacy was evaluated positively, and the forest owners considered forest policy in general to be more acceptable than other citizens did. The most criticized aspects of forest policy were the justice of the procedures and the use of clearcutting. Procedural justice and acceptance of forestry operations were the strongest explanatory factors for the legitimacy. Acceptance of the power relations of different stakeholder groups explained legitimacy for non-owners but not for forest owners. In both groups, forest policy competence led to a more negative evaluation of legitimacy.

Silva Fennica, 2010

The present study analyses the values held by forest professionals in three Nordic countries: Fin... more The present study analyses the values held by forest professionals in three Nordic countries: Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The data is from a large (n = 1113) internet survey that used cognitive mapping as a research tool, which is a novelty in value measurement. The questionnaire is based on the organisational value theory of Schein (1992), supplemented with relevant forest-related and environmental values. The forest-related main value factors were in the following order of importance: Expertise, Private forestry, Forest production, Nature conservation, and Tradition. The measurement included two kinds of cases: action values, referring to present decision-making, and ideal values, referring to decisions concerning future ideals. Most of the values' scores were similar. Almost all values received higher scores of importance in the ideal cases compared to action cases, a fact that can probably be explained by constraints related to the professionals' current working environment. Some international differences were also found: Sweden and Norway were closer to each other and both differed from Finland, where private forestry, forest production, and traditions are highly valued. Moreover, respondents working in industry were found to be slightly more production-oriented than other forest professionals. The study also revealed several weaknesses of the cognitive mapping method in measuring values.

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, Dec 1, 2013

ABSTRACT Consumers in today's world can perceive an additional benefit associated with re... more ABSTRACT Consumers in today's world can perceive an additional benefit associated with responsible business practices and the sustainability of purchased products. However, in Scandinavian context, there is a lack of knowledge of consumer perceptions toward environmental and social sustainability of wood products. Our data on adult Finnish consumers (private end-users) (N=227) were collected during 2004–2007 as interview exit data from home retail centers selling building materials. The perceived environmental and social sustainability of wood products was investigated using exploratory factor analysis, and the phenomenon was observed to be a two-dimensional construct consisting of “General environmental and social sustainability” and “Specific social sustainability” reflecting strong consumer need for product safety. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the “General” dimension also explains the consumer's self-declared willingness to pay for sustainable wood products. The results also indicate that the respondents may be segmented based on their perceptions on product level environmental and social sustainability: the most environmentally and socially conscious group can be profiled by gender (female), older age, and summer cottage ownership.

Alue ja ympäristö, Dec 20, 2018

Annukka Valkeapää a "Millaista on ympäristöystävällinen ruoka?"-kysymykseen on varsin yksinkertai... more Annukka Valkeapää a "Millaista on ympäristöystävällinen ruoka?"-kysymykseen on varsin yksinkertainen vastaus. Vastaus kuuluu: "Enemmän kasviperäisiä ja vähemmän eläinperäisiä tuotteita. Ruoan ympäristövaikutuksissa eläinperäisen ruoan osuus on ratkaiseva, vaikka muutkin tekijät aiheuttavat vaihtelua. Tarvittava muutos on siis helppo muotoilla, mutta keinot muutoksen aikaansaamiseksi ovat moninaisia. Muutokseen tarvitaan yksilöitä, elinkeinoelämän toimijoita sekä poliittista järjestelmää. Eläinperäisen ruoan rajattu rooli kestävässä ruokajärjestelmässä Maailmanlaajuisesti tarkasteltuna eläinperäinen ruoka on edelleen tärkeä osa ruokaturvaa monilla alueilla. Märehtijät pystyvät tuottamaan ihmisravintoa sellaisista kasveista, joita ihminen ei pysty suoraan käyttämään ravinnoksi. Myös huomattava osa laidunmaista on sellaisia, ettei niitä voida käyttää suoraan ihmisravinnoksi soveltuvien kasvien viljelyyn. Näin ei kuitenkaan a. WWF,

Social Justice Research, Jul 29, 2014

The uncertainty management theory (Lind and Van den Bos, Research in organizational behavior 24, ... more The uncertainty management theory (Lind and Van den Bos, Research in organizational behavior 24, 181-223, 2002; Van den Bos and Lind, Advances in experimental social psychology, pp. 1-60, 2002) proposes that perceived fairness decreases experienced uncertainty, and, thus, the importance of fairness is enhanced under higher uncertainty. For example, the six procedural justice principles (Leventhal, Social exchange: advances in theory and research pp. 27-55, 1980) can be seen to reduce uncertainty in the long run by producing higher quality decisions. However, the decision-making process itself also may cause uncertainty, especially when the process is prolonged. Thus, we bring the speed of the decision-making process into discussion as one justice principle. We suggest that people use speedrelated information as heuristic information and substitute lacking proceduresrelated information by drawing inferences from the speed of the decision-making. We propose that the speed of decision-making has a twofold effect on perception of procedural fairness: very fast and very slow decision-making processes are perceived to produce more uncertainty than moderate time processes, and consequently, a moderate process is expected to be related with more positive fairness perceptions than very slow or very fast processes. The statement was further tested by examining the mediating role of procedural fairness perceptions in the relationship between speed and its one consequence, perceived legitimacy, with a survey sample (N = 846) in the context of Finnish forest policy. The analysis confirmed the hypotheses. The role of speed as a justice rule and its contribution to the uncertainty management theory is discussed.

Catena, Apr 1, 2016

In tropical peat swamp forests (PSF), the ground surface is covered with higher elevated surfaces... more In tropical peat swamp forests (PSF), the ground surface is covered with higher elevated surfaces, hummocks, and part of the year wet depressions, hollows. We present a detailed description of PSF floor microtopography combined with analysis of ground water table dynamics and the occurrence of vegetation in mixed swamp forest in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. In the study area, hummocks and hollows were neither oriented in relation to the water flow nor did their spatial distribution seem to follow any other regularly repeated patterning. Combined data from long-term water table measurements and ground surface elevation mapping showed that for most of the year more than half of the soil surface is above the ground water table. The highest and lowest water table levels lasted a relatively short time with less fluctuation during higher than low water tables. Vegetation was concentrated on elevated surfaces such that tree seedlings were found at all elevations whereas mature trees were more abundant at higher elevations. We expect both flooding-induced oxygen deficiency in hollows and better nutrient availability in hummocks to steer the vegetation growth towards higher surfaces. The patterns of microtopography and vegetation between the areas closer to the margins versus the more central locations on the peat dome were similar.

The purpose of forest policy is to enhance the sustainable production of benefits of forests to s... more The purpose of forest policy is to enhance the sustainable production of benefits of forests to serve the needs of all citizens. Theory of system justification claims that low status groups are the most likely to support, defend and justify existing social systems. This study explores how various aspects of forest related competencies affect satisfaction with the political system and the desire to influence decision making. The effect of competence on system satisfaction and the desire to influence outcomes, is evaluated using survey data on Finnish citizens' attitudes on forest policy. The results were in line with system justification theory: Competence decreases system satisfaction and increases the desire to influence outcomes. The dissatisfaction with the system becomes possible only if people have adequate knowledge. Forestry competent people tend to be satisfied with the system, while people with conservation knowledge tend to be dissatisfied. The challenges to the inclusion of citizens' views in political processes are addressed.

This study focuses on the values, fairness, and legitimacy of forest-related decisionmaking in Fi... more This study focuses on the values, fairness, and legitimacy of forest-related decisionmaking in Finland. This context of study can be described with the opposing values of the intensive use of forests and biodiversity conservation. Further, the legitimacy of decision-making processes in the field has been questioned by various stakeholder groups. The purpose of forest policy in Finland is to enhance the sustainable production of material and immaterial benefits derived from forests to serve the needs of all citizens. To meet this purpose, citizens' opinions concerning forests and decision-making are crucial. The first aim of this study is to investigate how forest values make their way into the decision-making process in this specific political field; as such, the forest values of citizens, Members of Parliament (MPs) and forest professionals are compared. The second aim is to suggest speed of decision-making as one principle that people use when evaluating the fairness of an overall decision-making process. The third aim is to develop a model of legitimacy for a hypothetical political sector and test it in the forest policy context, and further, to examine how certain personal factors (i.e., values and competencies) affect the evaluation fo legitimacy. The fourth aim is practical; namely, to bring out citizen opinions on forest-related decision-making in Finland for the basis of policy-making. Three survey samples were used: citizens (N=1260), MPs (N=80), and forest professionals (N=1016). These samples were analyzed in the five quantitative substudies of this dissertation using statistical methods, such as regression modelling, analysis of variance, mediation analysis, and structural equation modelling. The examination of forest values revealed remarkable difference between the three groups: citizens emphasized more biodiversity conservation value than economic value, while for MPs these values were almost equal in importance, and for forest professionals, economic value was most emphasized. The difference in values partly explains the persistence of forest-related conflicts in Finland. The values held by the majority of citizens deviate from the mainstream forest discourse, which is dominated by forest professionals who emphasize the economic use of forests. The idea of using speed in decision-making as one fairness criterion is drawn from, and built on, uncertainty management model (Lind & Van den Bos, 2002; Van den Bos & Lind, 2002). The effect of speed on legitimacy was mediated through procedural fairness and the effect was curvilinear. Very fast and very slow decisionmaking processes were perceived to be less fair, probably because they include more uncertainty than moderate processes. Although fast processes reduce short-term uncertainty (i.e., time under uncertainty), they may create concerns about the quality of the decision-making process. The perceived legitimacy of Finnish forest related decision-making was explained by procedural justice and forestry practices; for non-owners, power relations also had an effect. The policy as a whole was perceived as rather legitimate by citizens but the two most important elements of legitimacy raised notable criticism: the treatment of

Tässä julkaisussa käsitellään suomalaisten kuluttajien lähiruokaa koskevia arvoja ja asenteita. R... more Tässä julkaisussa käsitellään suomalaisten kuluttajien lähiruokaa koskevia arvoja ja asenteita. Raportti on tehty osana Helsingin yliopiston Ruralia-instituutin toteuttamaa lähiruokahanketta, joka on Etelä-Savon maakunnan alueen lähiruokaviestintään, lähiruoan saatavuuteen ja koko lähiruokaan liittyvän toimialan koordinointiin keskittyvä hanke. Lähiruoka arkipäivän valinnaksi, LÄHIVALINTA-hanke käynnistyi vuonna 2012 ja se päättyy vuoden 2014 lopussa. Hanketta rahoittavat Euroopan maaseudun kehittämisen maatalousrahasto ja Etelä-Savon elinkeino-, liikenne-ja ympäristökeskus. Lähiruoka arkipäivän valinnaksi, LÄHIVALINTA-hankkeen tavoitteina on lisätä kuluttajien, ammattikeittiöiden ja ravintoloiden tietoisuutta lähiruoasta, edistää siten lähiruoan käyttöä sekä lähiruokayritysten verkottumista ja toimialan yhteistyötä Etelä-Savon alueella. Tavoitteena on myös vahvistaa alueen ruokakulttuuria ja sen merkitystä sekä lisätä alueen kiinnostavuutta ruokamatkailukohteena. Hankkeen kohderyhmänä on koko lähiruokaketju eli ruoan tuottajat, jalostajat, kauppiaat, ammattikeittiöt, ravintolat ja kuluttajat. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin suomalaisten kuluttajien arvoja ja asenteita lähiruokaa kohtaan. Tutkimus koostuu Mikkelissä tehdystä haastattelututkimuksesta ja koko Suomen kattavasta kyselytutkimuksesta. Tavoitteena oli tuottaa tietoa, jota ruoka-alan toimijat voivat hyödyntää lähiruokaa koskevassa viestinnässä ja sen kysynnän edistämisessä. Kyselytutkimuksen toteuttamisesta vastasi VTM Annukka Valkeapää. Haastattelututkimuksen suoritti tutkimusavustajana toiminut VTK Oona Kasslin, jonka pro gradu-tutkielma aiheesta valmistuu keväällä 2015. Kiitokset kaikille kyselyyn ja haastatteluihin osallistuneille sekä muille tutkimuksen toteuttamiseen osallistuneille ja siihen myötävaikuttaneille tahoille.

Scandinavian Forest Economics: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Scandinavian Society of Forest Economics, May 1, 2012

Today's consumers often perceive an additional benefit associated with responsible business pract... more Today's consumers often perceive an additional benefit associated with responsible business practices and sustainability of purchased products. Regarding wood products, environmental quality has in the earlier studies been found to be a part of the total product quality. However, there is still lack of knowledge on the consumers' attitudes towards socially and environmentally responsible supplier characteristics. Therefore we address in this paper what kind of perceptions do consumers hold for their wood product suppliers particularly with regard to environmental and social responsibility. Our data is collected during 2004-2007 as exit data from home retail centers selling building materials and our respondents (n=227) were Finnish adult consumers. Perceived supplier characteristics associated were found to be linked with both domestic origin of wood and domestic company ownership. Based on this there seems to be some scope for developing wood products marketing based on these issues.

Metsätieteen aikakauskirja, 2015

Social systems and ecological systems are both essential to building human well-being. The dynami... more Social systems and ecological systems are both essential to building human well-being. The dynamic relationship between these systems is embedded in a larger social, cultural, political, and economic context. Many of the world's forests currently face rapid changes that tend to push both systems towards conditions where their historic relationship can no longer be sustained. The challenge is to maintain the balance between these systems and, simultaneously, secure ecological resilience while avoiding social disruption and insecurity. People are key actors in the social-ecological system. The growth of the global population, its concentration in urban centres, as well as changing consumption habits will impact on global land use, including on forests. Individuals and societies have essential roles in the larger social, economic, and political settings of globalisation, including shifts in policies and new power structures. In the interplay of society and the environment, an understanding of the perceptions and attitudes between individuals and groups of people may carry over to new and positive solutions, specifically in governance and institutions, both for people and nature. The set of perceptions and attitudes, and the inherent cultures of the individual and societies determine the public support and success of forestry, of implementation of sustainable management, and more effective conservation measures. Contradictory perceptions and potentially consequent mistrust and antagonism may cause conflict and inefficient management of the natural resource. Yet, conflict can provide an opportunity for mutual learning and may trigger new ideas that can improve or replace outdated patterns.

Social Justice Research, 2014

The uncertainty management theory (Lind and Van den Bos, Research in organizational behavior 24, ... more The uncertainty management theory (Lind and Van den Bos, Research in organizational behavior 24, 181-223, 2002; Van den Bos and Lind, Advances in experimental social psychology, pp. 1-60, 2002) proposes that perceived fairness decreases experienced uncertainty, and, thus, the importance of fairness is enhanced under higher uncertainty. For example, the six procedural justice principles (Leventhal, Social exchange: advances in theory and research pp. 27-55, 1980) can be seen to reduce uncertainty in the long run by producing higher quality decisions. However, the decision-making process itself also may cause uncertainty, especially when the process is prolonged. Thus, we bring the speed of the decision-making process into discussion as one justice principle. We suggest that people use speedrelated information as heuristic information and substitute lacking proceduresrelated information by drawing inferences from the speed of the decision-making. We propose that the speed of decision-making has a twofold effect on perception of procedural fairness: very fast and very slow decision-making processes are perceived to produce more uncertainty than moderate time processes, and consequently, a moderate process is expected to be related with more positive fairness perceptions than very slow or very fast processes. The statement was further tested by examining the mediating role of procedural fairness perceptions in the relationship between speed and its one consequence, perceived legitimacy, with a survey sample (N = 846) in the context of Finnish forest policy. The analysis confirmed the hypotheses. The role of speed as a justice rule and its contribution to the uncertainty management theory is discussed.

Silva Fennica, 2010

The present study analyses the values held by forest professionals in three Nordic countries: Fin... more The present study analyses the values held by forest professionals in three Nordic countries: Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The data is from a large (n = 1113) internet survey that used cognitive mapping as a research tool, which is a novelty in value measurement. The questionnaire is based on the organisational value theory of Schein (1992), supplemented with relevant forest-related and environmental values. The forest-related main value factors were in the following order of importance: Expertise, Private forestry, Forest production, Nature conservation, and Tradition. The measurement included two kinds of cases: action values, referring to present decision-making, and ideal values, referring to decisions concerning future ideals. Most of the values’ scores were similar. Almost all values received higher scores of importance in the ideal cases compared to action cases, a fact that can probably be explained by constraints related to the professionals’ current working environment...

Metsätieteen aikakauskirja, Dec 31, 2022

Forest Policy and Economics, Mar 1, 2013

The goal of forest policy is to enhance sustainable production of the material and immaterial ben... more The goal of forest policy is to enhance sustainable production of the material and immaterial benefits of forests to serve the needs of all citizens. A theoretical model for explaining the formation of legitimacy in a certain political sector was developed and empirically tested in the context of Finnish forest policy. Nationwide mail survey data was used to determine the differences in the perceptions of forest policy by Finnish forest owners and other citizens. The questionnaire measured the legitimacy of the forest policy, the acceptance of laws, the justice of the procedures, the fairness of power relations, the acceptance of forestry operations and the competence in forest policy issues. Overall legitimacy was evaluated positively, and the forest owners considered forest policy in general to be more acceptable than other citizens did. The most criticized aspects of forest policy were the justice of the procedures and the use of clearcutting. Procedural justice and acceptance of forestry operations were the strongest explanatory factors for the legitimacy. Acceptance of the power relations of different stakeholder groups explained legitimacy for non-owners but not for forest owners. In both groups, forest policy competence led to a more negative evaluation of legitimacy.

Silva Fennica, 2010

The present study analyses the values held by forest professionals in three Nordic countries: Fin... more The present study analyses the values held by forest professionals in three Nordic countries: Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The data is from a large (n = 1113) internet survey that used cognitive mapping as a research tool, which is a novelty in value measurement. The questionnaire is based on the organisational value theory of Schein (1992), supplemented with relevant forest-related and environmental values. The forest-related main value factors were in the following order of importance: Expertise, Private forestry, Forest production, Nature conservation, and Tradition. The measurement included two kinds of cases: action values, referring to present decision-making, and ideal values, referring to decisions concerning future ideals. Most of the values' scores were similar. Almost all values received higher scores of importance in the ideal cases compared to action cases, a fact that can probably be explained by constraints related to the professionals' current working environment. Some international differences were also found: Sweden and Norway were closer to each other and both differed from Finland, where private forestry, forest production, and traditions are highly valued. Moreover, respondents working in industry were found to be slightly more production-oriented than other forest professionals. The study also revealed several weaknesses of the cognitive mapping method in measuring values.

Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research, Dec 1, 2013

ABSTRACT Consumers in today's world can perceive an additional benefit associated with re... more ABSTRACT Consumers in today's world can perceive an additional benefit associated with responsible business practices and the sustainability of purchased products. However, in Scandinavian context, there is a lack of knowledge of consumer perceptions toward environmental and social sustainability of wood products. Our data on adult Finnish consumers (private end-users) (N=227) were collected during 2004–2007 as interview exit data from home retail centers selling building materials. The perceived environmental and social sustainability of wood products was investigated using exploratory factor analysis, and the phenomenon was observed to be a two-dimensional construct consisting of “General environmental and social sustainability” and “Specific social sustainability” reflecting strong consumer need for product safety. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the “General” dimension also explains the consumer's self-declared willingness to pay for sustainable wood products. The results also indicate that the respondents may be segmented based on their perceptions on product level environmental and social sustainability: the most environmentally and socially conscious group can be profiled by gender (female), older age, and summer cottage ownership.

Alue ja ympäristö, Dec 20, 2018

Annukka Valkeapää a "Millaista on ympäristöystävällinen ruoka?"-kysymykseen on varsin yksinkertai... more Annukka Valkeapää a "Millaista on ympäristöystävällinen ruoka?"-kysymykseen on varsin yksinkertainen vastaus. Vastaus kuuluu: "Enemmän kasviperäisiä ja vähemmän eläinperäisiä tuotteita. Ruoan ympäristövaikutuksissa eläinperäisen ruoan osuus on ratkaiseva, vaikka muutkin tekijät aiheuttavat vaihtelua. Tarvittava muutos on siis helppo muotoilla, mutta keinot muutoksen aikaansaamiseksi ovat moninaisia. Muutokseen tarvitaan yksilöitä, elinkeinoelämän toimijoita sekä poliittista järjestelmää. Eläinperäisen ruoan rajattu rooli kestävässä ruokajärjestelmässä Maailmanlaajuisesti tarkasteltuna eläinperäinen ruoka on edelleen tärkeä osa ruokaturvaa monilla alueilla. Märehtijät pystyvät tuottamaan ihmisravintoa sellaisista kasveista, joita ihminen ei pysty suoraan käyttämään ravinnoksi. Myös huomattava osa laidunmaista on sellaisia, ettei niitä voida käyttää suoraan ihmisravinnoksi soveltuvien kasvien viljelyyn. Näin ei kuitenkaan a. WWF,

Social Justice Research, Jul 29, 2014

The uncertainty management theory (Lind and Van den Bos, Research in organizational behavior 24, ... more The uncertainty management theory (Lind and Van den Bos, Research in organizational behavior 24, 181-223, 2002; Van den Bos and Lind, Advances in experimental social psychology, pp. 1-60, 2002) proposes that perceived fairness decreases experienced uncertainty, and, thus, the importance of fairness is enhanced under higher uncertainty. For example, the six procedural justice principles (Leventhal, Social exchange: advances in theory and research pp. 27-55, 1980) can be seen to reduce uncertainty in the long run by producing higher quality decisions. However, the decision-making process itself also may cause uncertainty, especially when the process is prolonged. Thus, we bring the speed of the decision-making process into discussion as one justice principle. We suggest that people use speedrelated information as heuristic information and substitute lacking proceduresrelated information by drawing inferences from the speed of the decision-making. We propose that the speed of decision-making has a twofold effect on perception of procedural fairness: very fast and very slow decision-making processes are perceived to produce more uncertainty than moderate time processes, and consequently, a moderate process is expected to be related with more positive fairness perceptions than very slow or very fast processes. The statement was further tested by examining the mediating role of procedural fairness perceptions in the relationship between speed and its one consequence, perceived legitimacy, with a survey sample (N = 846) in the context of Finnish forest policy. The analysis confirmed the hypotheses. The role of speed as a justice rule and its contribution to the uncertainty management theory is discussed.

Catena, Apr 1, 2016

In tropical peat swamp forests (PSF), the ground surface is covered with higher elevated surfaces... more In tropical peat swamp forests (PSF), the ground surface is covered with higher elevated surfaces, hummocks, and part of the year wet depressions, hollows. We present a detailed description of PSF floor microtopography combined with analysis of ground water table dynamics and the occurrence of vegetation in mixed swamp forest in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. In the study area, hummocks and hollows were neither oriented in relation to the water flow nor did their spatial distribution seem to follow any other regularly repeated patterning. Combined data from long-term water table measurements and ground surface elevation mapping showed that for most of the year more than half of the soil surface is above the ground water table. The highest and lowest water table levels lasted a relatively short time with less fluctuation during higher than low water tables. Vegetation was concentrated on elevated surfaces such that tree seedlings were found at all elevations whereas mature trees were more abundant at higher elevations. We expect both flooding-induced oxygen deficiency in hollows and better nutrient availability in hummocks to steer the vegetation growth towards higher surfaces. The patterns of microtopography and vegetation between the areas closer to the margins versus the more central locations on the peat dome were similar.

The purpose of forest policy is to enhance the sustainable production of benefits of forests to s... more The purpose of forest policy is to enhance the sustainable production of benefits of forests to serve the needs of all citizens. Theory of system justification claims that low status groups are the most likely to support, defend and justify existing social systems. This study explores how various aspects of forest related competencies affect satisfaction with the political system and the desire to influence decision making. The effect of competence on system satisfaction and the desire to influence outcomes, is evaluated using survey data on Finnish citizens' attitudes on forest policy. The results were in line with system justification theory: Competence decreases system satisfaction and increases the desire to influence outcomes. The dissatisfaction with the system becomes possible only if people have adequate knowledge. Forestry competent people tend to be satisfied with the system, while people with conservation knowledge tend to be dissatisfied. The challenges to the inclusion of citizens' views in political processes are addressed.

This study focuses on the values, fairness, and legitimacy of forest-related decisionmaking in Fi... more This study focuses on the values, fairness, and legitimacy of forest-related decisionmaking in Finland. This context of study can be described with the opposing values of the intensive use of forests and biodiversity conservation. Further, the legitimacy of decision-making processes in the field has been questioned by various stakeholder groups. The purpose of forest policy in Finland is to enhance the sustainable production of material and immaterial benefits derived from forests to serve the needs of all citizens. To meet this purpose, citizens' opinions concerning forests and decision-making are crucial. The first aim of this study is to investigate how forest values make their way into the decision-making process in this specific political field; as such, the forest values of citizens, Members of Parliament (MPs) and forest professionals are compared. The second aim is to suggest speed of decision-making as one principle that people use when evaluating the fairness of an overall decision-making process. The third aim is to develop a model of legitimacy for a hypothetical political sector and test it in the forest policy context, and further, to examine how certain personal factors (i.e., values and competencies) affect the evaluation fo legitimacy. The fourth aim is practical; namely, to bring out citizen opinions on forest-related decision-making in Finland for the basis of policy-making. Three survey samples were used: citizens (N=1260), MPs (N=80), and forest professionals (N=1016). These samples were analyzed in the five quantitative substudies of this dissertation using statistical methods, such as regression modelling, analysis of variance, mediation analysis, and structural equation modelling. The examination of forest values revealed remarkable difference between the three groups: citizens emphasized more biodiversity conservation value than economic value, while for MPs these values were almost equal in importance, and for forest professionals, economic value was most emphasized. The difference in values partly explains the persistence of forest-related conflicts in Finland. The values held by the majority of citizens deviate from the mainstream forest discourse, which is dominated by forest professionals who emphasize the economic use of forests. The idea of using speed in decision-making as one fairness criterion is drawn from, and built on, uncertainty management model (Lind & Van den Bos, 2002; Van den Bos & Lind, 2002). The effect of speed on legitimacy was mediated through procedural fairness and the effect was curvilinear. Very fast and very slow decisionmaking processes were perceived to be less fair, probably because they include more uncertainty than moderate processes. Although fast processes reduce short-term uncertainty (i.e., time under uncertainty), they may create concerns about the quality of the decision-making process. The perceived legitimacy of Finnish forest related decision-making was explained by procedural justice and forestry practices; for non-owners, power relations also had an effect. The policy as a whole was perceived as rather legitimate by citizens but the two most important elements of legitimacy raised notable criticism: the treatment of

Tässä julkaisussa käsitellään suomalaisten kuluttajien lähiruokaa koskevia arvoja ja asenteita. R... more Tässä julkaisussa käsitellään suomalaisten kuluttajien lähiruokaa koskevia arvoja ja asenteita. Raportti on tehty osana Helsingin yliopiston Ruralia-instituutin toteuttamaa lähiruokahanketta, joka on Etelä-Savon maakunnan alueen lähiruokaviestintään, lähiruoan saatavuuteen ja koko lähiruokaan liittyvän toimialan koordinointiin keskittyvä hanke. Lähiruoka arkipäivän valinnaksi, LÄHIVALINTA-hanke käynnistyi vuonna 2012 ja se päättyy vuoden 2014 lopussa. Hanketta rahoittavat Euroopan maaseudun kehittämisen maatalousrahasto ja Etelä-Savon elinkeino-, liikenne-ja ympäristökeskus. Lähiruoka arkipäivän valinnaksi, LÄHIVALINTA-hankkeen tavoitteina on lisätä kuluttajien, ammattikeittiöiden ja ravintoloiden tietoisuutta lähiruoasta, edistää siten lähiruoan käyttöä sekä lähiruokayritysten verkottumista ja toimialan yhteistyötä Etelä-Savon alueella. Tavoitteena on myös vahvistaa alueen ruokakulttuuria ja sen merkitystä sekä lisätä alueen kiinnostavuutta ruokamatkailukohteena. Hankkeen kohderyhmänä on koko lähiruokaketju eli ruoan tuottajat, jalostajat, kauppiaat, ammattikeittiöt, ravintolat ja kuluttajat. Tässä tutkimuksessa selvitettiin suomalaisten kuluttajien arvoja ja asenteita lähiruokaa kohtaan. Tutkimus koostuu Mikkelissä tehdystä haastattelututkimuksesta ja koko Suomen kattavasta kyselytutkimuksesta. Tavoitteena oli tuottaa tietoa, jota ruoka-alan toimijat voivat hyödyntää lähiruokaa koskevassa viestinnässä ja sen kysynnän edistämisessä. Kyselytutkimuksen toteuttamisesta vastasi VTM Annukka Valkeapää. Haastattelututkimuksen suoritti tutkimusavustajana toiminut VTK Oona Kasslin, jonka pro gradu-tutkielma aiheesta valmistuu keväällä 2015. Kiitokset kaikille kyselyyn ja haastatteluihin osallistuneille sekä muille tutkimuksen toteuttamiseen osallistuneille ja siihen myötävaikuttaneille tahoille.

Scandinavian Forest Economics: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Scandinavian Society of Forest Economics, May 1, 2012

Today's consumers often perceive an additional benefit associated with responsible business pract... more Today's consumers often perceive an additional benefit associated with responsible business practices and sustainability of purchased products. Regarding wood products, environmental quality has in the earlier studies been found to be a part of the total product quality. However, there is still lack of knowledge on the consumers' attitudes towards socially and environmentally responsible supplier characteristics. Therefore we address in this paper what kind of perceptions do consumers hold for their wood product suppliers particularly with regard to environmental and social responsibility. Our data is collected during 2004-2007 as exit data from home retail centers selling building materials and our respondents (n=227) were Finnish adult consumers. Perceived supplier characteristics associated were found to be linked with both domestic origin of wood and domestic company ownership. Based on this there seems to be some scope for developing wood products marketing based on these issues.

Metsätieteen aikakauskirja, 2015

Social systems and ecological systems are both essential to building human well-being. The dynami... more Social systems and ecological systems are both essential to building human well-being. The dynamic relationship between these systems is embedded in a larger social, cultural, political, and economic context. Many of the world's forests currently face rapid changes that tend to push both systems towards conditions where their historic relationship can no longer be sustained. The challenge is to maintain the balance between these systems and, simultaneously, secure ecological resilience while avoiding social disruption and insecurity. People are key actors in the social-ecological system. The growth of the global population, its concentration in urban centres, as well as changing consumption habits will impact on global land use, including on forests. Individuals and societies have essential roles in the larger social, economic, and political settings of globalisation, including shifts in policies and new power structures. In the interplay of society and the environment, an understanding of the perceptions and attitudes between individuals and groups of people may carry over to new and positive solutions, specifically in governance and institutions, both for people and nature. The set of perceptions and attitudes, and the inherent cultures of the individual and societies determine the public support and success of forestry, of implementation of sustainable management, and more effective conservation measures. Contradictory perceptions and potentially consequent mistrust and antagonism may cause conflict and inefficient management of the natural resource. Yet, conflict can provide an opportunity for mutual learning and may trigger new ideas that can improve or replace outdated patterns.

Social Justice Research, 2014

The uncertainty management theory (Lind and Van den Bos, Research in organizational behavior 24, ... more The uncertainty management theory (Lind and Van den Bos, Research in organizational behavior 24, 181-223, 2002; Van den Bos and Lind, Advances in experimental social psychology, pp. 1-60, 2002) proposes that perceived fairness decreases experienced uncertainty, and, thus, the importance of fairness is enhanced under higher uncertainty. For example, the six procedural justice principles (Leventhal, Social exchange: advances in theory and research pp. 27-55, 1980) can be seen to reduce uncertainty in the long run by producing higher quality decisions. However, the decision-making process itself also may cause uncertainty, especially when the process is prolonged. Thus, we bring the speed of the decision-making process into discussion as one justice principle. We suggest that people use speedrelated information as heuristic information and substitute lacking proceduresrelated information by drawing inferences from the speed of the decision-making. We propose that the speed of decision-making has a twofold effect on perception of procedural fairness: very fast and very slow decision-making processes are perceived to produce more uncertainty than moderate time processes, and consequently, a moderate process is expected to be related with more positive fairness perceptions than very slow or very fast processes. The statement was further tested by examining the mediating role of procedural fairness perceptions in the relationship between speed and its one consequence, perceived legitimacy, with a survey sample (N = 846) in the context of Finnish forest policy. The analysis confirmed the hypotheses. The role of speed as a justice rule and its contribution to the uncertainty management theory is discussed.

Silva Fennica, 2010

The present study analyses the values held by forest professionals in three Nordic countries: Fin... more The present study analyses the values held by forest professionals in three Nordic countries: Finland, Norway, and Sweden. The data is from a large (n = 1113) internet survey that used cognitive mapping as a research tool, which is a novelty in value measurement. The questionnaire is based on the organisational value theory of Schein (1992), supplemented with relevant forest-related and environmental values. The forest-related main value factors were in the following order of importance: Expertise, Private forestry, Forest production, Nature conservation, and Tradition. The measurement included two kinds of cases: action values, referring to present decision-making, and ideal values, referring to decisions concerning future ideals. Most of the values’ scores were similar. Almost all values received higher scores of importance in the ideal cases compared to action cases, a fact that can probably be explained by constraints related to the professionals’ current working environment...