Arvorinnastosta

Arvorinnastosta is a Finnish scholarly term used to describe the process by which social actors elevate certain values to central guiding principles, thereby reordering priorities and legitimating actions in terms of those values. The concept highlights how value considerations become embedded in rhetoric, policy design, and organizational decision-making, often in response to perceived threats, crises, or competing claims.

Etymologically, arvorinnastosta combines arvo, meaning value, with rinnastosta, related to rinnastaa "to align" or "to place side by side." The term thus signals the alignment of actions, structures, or policies with prioritized norms, effectively creating a value-centered frame for interpretation and justification.

In practice, arvorinnastosta is used in analyses of government policy, corporate ethics, non-governmental organizations, and public discourse. It refers to moments when decisions are framed primarily through a particular value or set of values, such as safety, sustainability, or fairness, sometimes at the expense of other considerations. Critics note that it can lead to value-washing or rhetorical overreach, where values are invoked to justify already-made choices or to obscure trade-offs. Proponents argue that the concept helps reveal how values shape legitimacy and accountability in complex decision-making.

Scholars analyze discourses, official documents, and policy outcomes to identify which values are foregrounded, how they are framed, and what consequences follow for governance and practice. The term remains mainly used in Finnish-language scholarship and is not universally standardized in international discourse. Related areas include value theory, ethics in policy analysis, and organizational governance.