Evaluation of academic legal publications in Finland

Abstract

1.1 The landscape Finland, with only 5.5 million inhabitants, is one of the smallest countries discussed in this book. There are four law faculties, which are all state funded. In addition, legal subjects are taught – and a doctoral thesis on a legal topic can be defended – in business schools and at faculties of administrative studies. The oldest and largest of the faculties is the faculty of law at the University of Helsinki (founded 1640). The University of Turku (founded in 1960) and the University of Lapland (founded 1979) also have law faculties. Furthermore, since 2015 the University of Eastern Finland has the right to award degrees in law. Annually, approximately 600 new students are admitted to study law in Finland. Because of the numerus clausus system which requires the hard selection of students via entrance exams1 hardly anyone abandons their studies and the prestige of a legal education is considerable. The universities educate civil servants and judges for local and higher courts, as well as practising lawyers (solicitors, advocates) and legal academics. Thus, the law faculties not the state (e.g. as in Germany), the Bar2 or an academy for judges award the basic qualification to enter the legal profession. Here, one can easily identify reasons as to why discussions about university education in law and its reforms so often reflect the dilemma between the ideal of professional training and that of a more general academic education.3 Not only are the status and number of non-practical or ‘useless’ topics (e.g. legal philosophy or legal history) in the teaching curriculum discussed, but also whether the common qualification criteria including the requirement for international scientific cooperation and publishing should be applied when professors in law are appointed. More than the other universities, the University of Helsinki emphasizes its role as a research university. It is an active member of the League of Research Universities and stands today as the 56th university on the Shanghai List, but is working hard for inclusion in the top 50.4 Therefore, ‘competitiveness’, ‘efficiency’ and ‘internationalization’ are key terms in the university’s strategy, which has a direct influence on resource allocation, recruiting procedures and even rankings between individual researchers. This strategy, with its focus on research and internationalization, also affects activities at the faculty of law, creating tension between the professional and the academic approach and between