Indirect public administration

Indirect public administration supplements and supports the authorities in their tasks. In other words, indirect public administration means organisations that are not authorities but that perform public tasks or exercise public power. However, under the Constitution of Finland, only the authorities may perform tasks involving the use of significant public powers.

Indirect public administration covers a large number of institutions, associations, companies and foundations. These include

• the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (Kela)
• the Bank of Finland
• the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
• forest management associations and fishery collectives
• companies performing vehicle inspections
• Central Pension Insurance Institute and pension insurance companies
• the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra.

Tasks of indirect public administration

• companies performing vehicle inspections
• Finnish Centre for Pensions and pension insurance companies that handle the earnings-related pension provision of private-sector employees and the self-employed
• The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra
• Veikkaus Oy.

Indirect public administration actors may perform public service tasks or administrative tasks, such as permit or funding decisions and supervision. For example, game management districts may grant hunting permits, while forest management associations may supervise plantings.

Public powers and the management of public duties are delegated to indirect public administration so that the operations can be made more flexible and the services more easily available.