Georg Henrik Wrede

Georg Henrik Wrede has written blogs that were published in Swedish on Kommuntorget, now gathered for easy access.

Kommuntorget is the Swedish-language magazine and website of the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities. The Association is the interest representative of the municipal sector and offers expert and information services. Finland’s municipalities and cities are members of the Association. Additionally, regional councils, other joint municipal authorities, and municipally affiliated companies are also subject to the Association’s activities.

Some blogs are easier to understand without knowledge of Finnish society and the current discussions. For example, many cover the Covid-19 pandemic. A number of blogs focus on the major health and social care reform that started on January 1, 2023. This reform changed how social and health care services, as well as rescue services, are organized in Finland. Control was shifted from 309 municipalities to 21 new welfare areas. The main goal of the reform was to ensure fair access to services and to reduce health disparities among people. The reform also aimed to cut costs, due to the increasing number of elderly people needing services and the decreasing number of working-age taxpayers.

On the the social and health care reform

The Future of Welfare Areas: Welfare Areas – Quo vadis?

Welfare Area Reform: According to ChatGPT, We Need a New Reform

Welfare Area Elections 2022: The January Election Will Be an Uninteresting Story That Concentrates Power to a Few

Welfare Areas and Language: Can Society Guarantee Care in Swedish?

On the Covid pandemic

Consequences of the Pandemic: Seeing Consequences in the Short and Long Term

COVID and Professional Groups: No, We Are Not All in the Same Boat

Do COVID Passports Give a False Sense of Security: That’s Why I’m Not Convinced About the Wisdom of COVID Passports

Vaccine Refusal: Will Vaccine Refusal Become an Insurance Issue?

Coping with COVID: The Mask Has Fallen

Other issues

Demography and Work: Crisis in the Population Issue

Government 2023: Public Health Issues in Government Negotiations

PM Orpo’s Government: The Government’s Sentiment and Fundamentals

Gambling and Taxes: Will We Accept Higher Taxes When Veikkaus’s Distribution Drastically Decreases?

Municipal Elections: Voters in Municipal Elections Served Entertainment, Not Analysis