Finland

	Score	Rank
Financial Standards Index	47.50 out of 100	43
Business Indicator Index	10.98 out of 12	12

Business Indicators Summary

With an overall score of 10.98/12, Finland is at standard on the economic, legal, and political indicators that make up our Business Index. Finland has a market-based, private sector economy, however, government spending remains high totaling 50.7 percent of the country's GDP. Finland welcomes foreign investment and provides equal incentives for both foreign and domestic investors. The country has little impediments to trade signified by little or no import controls or protective tariffs. Finland's tax rates are considered average compared to international standards. The political parties in Finland, both ruling and the opposition, are pro growth and globalization. Property rights, including intellectual property rights, are well protected, as are contractual agreements. Corruption is of no concern to investors, as reflected in Finland’s ranking of 6th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s 2009 Corruption Perceptions Index.

Business Indicators

Economic Model
Forex Regulations
- Capital Controls
- Exchange Controls
Foreign Investment Law
Trade Regulation
Tax Regime
Tax Rates
Bankruptcy Indicators
International Dispute Settlement
Political Environment
Political Stability
Corruption
Adherence to global labor standards

Political StabilityYes, for foreseeable future

Finland receives a score of 1.36 for the factor "Political Stability" in the World Bank's Governance Indicators 2009 as compiled by Kaufmann and Mastruzzi. The governance estimates are normally distributed with a mean of zero, a higher score signifies a less violent and politically more stable society.

According to the 2009 U.S. DoC report, there has been no politically motivated violence since the country's struggle for independence in 1918. In Finland, the executive power is divided between the president, whose role focuses on foreign policy, and the prime minister whose role covers all other areas. BBC News reported in 2007 that President Tarja Halonen, who is on the centre-left of the political spectrum, was elected in 2000, and then re-elected in 2006. Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, of the Centre Party, has been in office since 2003.

Sources

BBC News, "Country Profile: Finland," August 2009. Available from British Broadcasting Corporation website. Accessed on December 1, 2009. (BBC 2009)
Link

Kaufmann, A. Kraay, and M. Mastruzzi, “Governance Matters 2009: Worldwide Governance Indicators 1996-2008,” Washington D.C.: World Bank, June 2009. Available from World Bank website. Accessed on December 1, 2009.
Link

U.S. Department of Commerce, "Doing Business in Finland: A Country Commercial Guide," February 2009. Available from U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service and U.S. Department of State website. Accessed on December 1, 2009. (U.S. DoC 2009)
Link