The SILE project (2021 – 2026) investigates how the position, well-being, and rights of silent stakeholders are taken into account in the preparation and implementation of laws, and what kinds of impacts laws have on their everyday lives
Unforeseen harms can arise, particularly when the knowledge base for legislative preparation is insufficient. The risk of harms is especially high for those who, due to various limitations, have weak opportunities to contribute to the knowledge base concerning the laws that affect them, despite the principle of inclusive participation in regulatory policy. We call them silent stakeholders.
The SILE project focuses particularly on those silent stakeholders whose situation involves not only strong regulation but also conflicting tensions. Their behavior is often perceived to pose risks to themselves, others, or the surrounding society, which is why there is a desire to protect or restrict them through regulation. Its nature may generate strong differing views – epistemic struggles – among other stakeholders.
The project focuses on vulnerable people and animals
The groups specifically studied by the project include children in child protection, individuals experiencing substance abuse issues, mental health disorders, and debt problems, prisoners, individuals of foreign background, and animals.
The ongoing project produces academic publications but also develops a research-based handbook for hearing silent stakeholders. Consultation methods have so far been piloted with prisoners, under aged asylum seekers, and undocumented individuals. The project collaborates with many stakeholders, the most central of which is the Ministry of Justice in Finland.
The project is funded by Strategic Research Council
The project is led by Dr. Kati Rantala in the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Helsinki. The project also involves the University of Turku and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare. It has a budget of 6.3 million euros, funded by the Strategic Research Council, which operates under the Academy of Finland.
