The Dynamics of Popular Pressure Behind Policy Reversals

A certain level of distrust and dissatisfaction toward political decision-makers is part of a healthy democracy. Pierre Rosanvallon (2008) coined the term counter-democracy and argues that distrust plays an important role in democracy in making sure that elected officials keep their promises and serve the common good. The people have the methods of oversight, prevention and judgment at their disposal to veto government action. The current Sipilä majority government in Finland has reversed many of its already-made decisions, seemingly under popular pressure. Multiple studies (e.g. Grönlund & Wass, 2016) find that like elsewhere, political participation in Finland is highly polarized. Russell J. Dalton (2008) makes the point that who participates in politics is as important as the question of how many people participate. This paper surveys and examines the dynamics and magnitude of popular opposition in a few of the major reversals, and compares them to some that failed. Which groups got involved and what methods were used to get the government to take a notice? Can any citizen in the era of social media potentially make a difference? Or is participation of the groups and individuals with established resources a necessary precondition?