Professor Maija Setälä's career has taken her from Southwest Finland to different parts of the world, but her interest in the study and development of democracy has continued unchanged. However, Setälä’s career choice was not always clear.
The office window of Professor of Political Science Maija Setälä shows a grey November view, but one spot of light – or rather a pink spot of light – immediately catches the eye: the famous Posankka statue stands in the middle of the view. These are the same surroundings in which Setälä took her first steps towards a career in research.
She is originally from Laitila, 60km north of Turku, but was inspired by her sister to study at the University of Turku after upper comprehensive school. However, political science was not Setälä's first choice.
“I wanted to study psychology, but for some reason I did not apply. My sister tempted me to study political science, but at the time I thought that I will just finish the degree and see where it takes me. I even considered changing my major from time to time," says Setälä.
Despite her thoughts, Setälä completed her degree and worked for a while as a part-time research assistant before moving to London. She completed her dissertation on referendums at the London School of Economics and spent a total of four years in the city. Different career options are still on her mind.
Unique project on digital platforms supports democracy
Let us focus for a moment on the present rather than the past. Setälä's work as a Professor of Political Science is very versatile. She works on various projects and is currently putting the finishing touches to the Deliberating Climate Actions (FACTOR) project, which is exploring how public deliberation can contribute to just and knowledge-based climate policies. She is also working on the Horizon project on youth participation and the STN project on energy transition, the latter of which is preparing a citizen’s assembly on energy policies in early 2025.
"We are studying how AI can support, rather than undermine, communication between people."
One special project is also about to start: Setälä is a principal investigator in the Advancing Digital Democratic Innovation (ADDI) project, through which the University of Turku received the ERC Synergy Grant for the first time. The project, with almost €10 million in EU funding, aims to develop digital platforms for participation in decision-making.
“As methods of civic participation and deliberation are in use around the world, the idea is to develop digital platforms to facilitate them," says Setälä.
The project will use AI in a variety of ways to support civic participation and also research. For example, large language models could play a variety of roles in public deliberation, such as gathering expert information or summarising arguments.
“In addition to the use of AI, we are studying the limits of what it can and cannot do, and how AI can support, rather than undermine, communication between people. I am particularly interested in that," says Setälä.
According to Setälä, at the core of the ADDI project are the top researchers involved, who, like Setälä, are passionate about developing democracy.
“This project really is unique.”
Plenty of ideas, not enough time
The turning point in Setälä's career was her doctoral dissertation and the events that followed. It was the end of the 1990s and the beginning of Finland's EU membership, when many of Setälä's colleagues left to work for the European Union. However, this career choice did not inspire her.
“That was when I came back to Turku. After completing my dissertation, I received a position at the Centre of Excellence in Public Choice Research led by Hannu Nurmi. My work on referendums fitted in well.
"I have always had a mindset focused on creating a better world."
At the same time, she edited her doctoral dissertation into a book entitled Referendums and Democratic Government, which was published in 1999. With her new position and book, Setälä had ended up becoming a researcher. But even after 25 years, she still does not consider herself a full-fledged researcher.
“I have always had a mindset focused on creating a better world. This is also where my interest in democracy research and innovations comes from. But I am not a politician or a decision-maker, so I can only offer views that I hope someone will listen to," says Setälä.
It has not been the easiest career choice either, as the job requires not only passion, but also a lot of mental resources and social skills to work with people. There are also frustrating moments that must be tolerated.
“Sometimes I find myself doing everything other than what I am supposed to be doing. I would like to spend more time on development projects and writing, for example, as I have plenty of ideas but not enough time. My work is very holistic and sometimes I wonder if less could be enough.
Hoping to further explore the limits of democracy
Looking back on her career, Setälä says that luck has played a role in many situations. Different stages have not been planned in great detail.
“Things I really wanted did not always come true, and then again, something unexpected might have been a game changer. Flexibility, resilience, and a certain stubbornness are important qualities.”
When thinking about the future, Setälä brings up a couple of different issues: she would like to delve more deeply into exploring the limits of democracy, for example.
“I cannot prevent the decline of democracy, but I would like to be involved in developing forms of civic participation to increase their impact on decision-making. I also worked as an expert on citizens' initiatives at the beginning of the last decade and I am still interested in it.
Text: Liisa Kallio
Translation: Saara Yli-Kauhaluoma
Photo: Hanna Oksanen
