Järjestöt kansalaisten edustajina hallinnonuudistuksessa? : Legitimointia, mahdollisuuksia ja odotuksia

In this paper, we study third sector organizations as representatives of citizens in the contextof public sector reform. Our research focuses onthird sector organizations as part of public service systems. Our aim is to examine how theseorganizations are able to filter citizen interestsinto public policy-making processes? The theoretical framework of this research is based onthe concepts of participation, legitimacy and thedevelopments of civil society in the era of participatory governance in Finland. We have interviewed representatives of third sector organizations operating in the field of social and healthservices. This set of interviews also forms the data of our study. Our key findings suggest that thesocial and health focused third sector organizations form a heterogenous group and they differin their resources to represent citizens and theirrespective interest groups. Working together asallied groups in the public policy processes can,however, increase third sector organizations’possibilities to influence public sector reforms