The LAWPOL research infrastructure is linked to, among others, the following research projects:
Svenskans ställning i politik och lagstiftning 1990-2025
Research projectSvenskans ställning i politik och lagstiftning: En rättspolitisk analys av svenskans ställning och de svenskspråkigas rättigheter i debatter i Finlands riksdag och i lagstiftningsmaterial 1990–2025" examines how attitudes toward the Swedish language and Swedish speakers have been reflected in parliamentary debates and legislative materials since 1990. The aim is to deepen the understanding of language policy trends and the arguments underpinning legislative changes that affect linguistic rights. The project sheds light on how and on what grounds the position of Swedish language has changed over the past 35 years and explores the interplay between language, power, and politics in a bilingual society.
Funder Svenska Litteratursällskapet i Finland
Silent agents affected by legislation: from an insufficient knowledge base to inclusive solutions (SILE)
Legislation is a powerful instrument affecting all living beings, and if it is based on deficient knowledge, it could cause unintentional harm to those affected. The risk is especially high for those with very few means, due their social position or circumstances, to participate in the knowledge production that informs law drafting. We call them silent agents because others speak about them and for them. Thus, the project addresses the need to broaden the knowledge base of legislative drafting to include their perspectives. The analyses focus particularly on silent agents whose social position arouses morally charged tensions and dilemmas. The main data consist of legislative documents, interviews and documented encounters with interaction partners. In collaboration with them, the project will generate new working methods to facilitate the building of inclusive and transparent legislation that is socially and ethically sustainable and based on comprehensive knowledge.
Funder Academy of Finland, Strategic Research Council
Legislative simulation for 9th graders: Much Ado about Law
The "Kuka säätää?" ("Much Ado about the Law") project develops a role-playing game for 9th graders in primary schools to simulate and discuss the early stages of law-making and the opportunities for participation in the process. The simulation game supports the learning objectives of the 9th grade in social studies and complements the learning materials with its capacity-building content on early law-making and participation.
The final output of the project will be a teacher-guided role-playing game for which the necessary electronic and printable materials and instructions will be freely available to the general public.
Funder Finnish Cultural Foundation