Demos Helsinki

Demos Helsinki is Finland's leading think tank. We are also the first independent think tank in Finland, founded in 2005. Our aim is to develop democracy to suit the needs and capabilities of the people in the 21st century. 

There is a sense of urgency to our aim: many of the central social issues of our time, such as climate crisis and subjective well-being, demand deeper participation than our structures allow today.

Our vision is fundamentally and essentially human-centric. We believe that all change starts from the individual experience and scales up through our communities. We also know that action preceeds, strengthens and creates values. In fact, we think that people's values are their private matter and by and large very progressive. What is often lacking is ways to activate those values.

Therefore we do not only give talks and write reports but experiment and start-up. This is fundamental to our understandin of politics. Politics is as much about creating action, motivation and inspiration, than just traditional policy-instruments, such as incentives, investments, information and laws.

Our day-to-day work is a unique combination of human centric action and systemic research. Based on this pragmatic systems view, we produce prototypes, concepts, experiments, pilots, conversations, scenarios, recommendations, start-ups and spinn-offs. What ever works, really.

Central themes of our research are thus well-being, democracy and participation, future of cities and low-carbon economy.

We are a sustainable and open business with plenty of customers and partners. Our value creation model is simple. We serve equally the first and the second client. The first client(s) pays the bill, but that is never enough. All our work is public and we only work for common good. Demos Helsinki works with companies, NGOs, communities and public sector that recognise their role as gatekeepers of social change.

Follow us!

Many of us are addicted to twitter especially Aleksi Neuvonen, Tommi Laitio, Roope Mokka and Tuuli Kaskinen. 

Publications in English

Majority of our publications are in Finnish, but the following can give you a taste of Demos Helsinki's thinking.

Green Markets Must Be Created By Yo

u Our vision how business can become profitable by freeing people from the need of energy.

A Mission for Finland (2010) (PDF). Finland's country brand dossier.

Politics of Happines – A Manifesto. Towards the Futures of One Earth (2010) (PDF). Manifesto translating happiness studies into politics. 

Well-Being of the Metropolis (2010) (PDF). Our model for regional competitiveness.

City 2.0 – Towards a Social Silicon Valley (2007) (PDF). Our award winning proposal for the vision of Greater Helsinki. Yeah, its full of typos, but still wan the prize.

Wikicities. A column on the new phase in urban development in Monocle magazine.

Gatekeepers changing consumers' behaviour in energy consumption (2009) (PDF). An article analysing what are the most relevant energy decisions in our life and who are the gatekeepers – professional and peer groups – in creating a Finnish low-carbon society.

Low2No Camp (2011) A blog documenting an activist camp that helped to spearhead five urban ventures. 

Projects 

Peloton is our crown jewel. Peloton creates real life low carbon innovations that allow people to choose a fundamentally more ecological way of living. It means workign with organisations that are the gatekeepers of behaviour change. We have succesfully created better choices in housing, eating and moving about. New products and services are brought about by bringing more professionals to understand energy depletion as an opportunity for better business, work and life. 

Besides Peloton, having a look at some of the other projects we have done might give you an idea of the scope and style our work. Visit Slide Share for our presentations.

Contact

Our staff's e-mail addresses follow the pattern firstname.lastname (at) demos.fi
You can also contact us at news (at) demos.fi

Physically you often find us here.