Posted on 08/28/2006 2:28:28 PM PDT by bruinbirdman
When recently asked what his top priorities were for his country's European Union presidency, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen had just three words to say: "Innovation, innovation, innovation."
Finland's willingness to embrace change, shift priorities and make tough choices has created one of the world's most competitive economies, says Ann Mettler, executive director of the Lisbon Council, a Brussels-based think tank.
Taking Finland as an example, the following key lessons can be drawn:
** Education, skills and lifelong learning must be at the center of an innovative economy; far from being a consistent top performer -- in the mid-1980s, secondary school students in Finland performed only slightly above the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average in science tests -- the country pursued comprehensive reforms in spite of a deep recession in the 1990s.
** Finland's policy makers were determined to rid their schools of the bureaucratic inertia and myriad of responsibilities that hobble other European school systems to this day.
** Through decentralization and holding teachers and schools accountable for their students' performance -- unthinkable in much of the rest of Europe -- the reforms instilled in educators a sense of professional pride and unprecedented empowerment.
** Today, Finland is the top performer in the OECD's high-school study.
A second area where Finland is leading by example is in shifting its resources toward future-oriented projects:
** In 2004, Finland spent 3.41 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on research and development (R&D).
** Even more important, industry contributed the lion's share, 2.41 percent.
** Much of Europe, on the other hand, is trying (unsuccessfully) to reach the 3 percent target through more public spending.
** Finland realized that attracting private-sector investment is not only more productive but also more likely to yield commercially viable innovative products.
Source: Ann Mettler, "Innovation, Innovation, Innovation," Wall Street Journal, August 28, 2006.
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Finland
by Monty Python
Chorus: Finland, Finland, Finland.
The country where I want to be,
Pony trekking or camping,
Or just watching TV.
Finland, Finland, Finland,
It's the country for me.
Verse: You're so near to Russia,
So far from Japan.
Quite a long way from Cairo,
Lots of miles from Vietnam.
Chorus: Finland, Finland, Finland.
The country where I want to be,
Eating breakfast or dinner,
Or snack lunch in the hall.
Finland, Finland, Finland,
Finland has it all.
Verse: You're so sadly neglected,
And often ignored,
A poor second to Belgium,
When going abroad.
Chorus: Finland, Finland, Finland.
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland,
Finland has it all.
Repeat: Finland, Finland, Finland.
The country where I quite want to be,
Your mountains so lofty,
Your treetops so tall.
Finland, Finland, Finland,
Finland has it all.
Fade: Finland has it all...
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