yleishallinto

Yleishallinto, or general administration, is a term used in Finnish public administration to refer to the central, cross-cutting activities of the state. It denotes the general layer of governance that supports all policy areas through common functions rather than sector-specific tasks. The core components of yleishallinto include policy development and coordination, legislative drafting, central administration, budgeting and financial management, human resources, public procurement, information management, and the provision of central public services. Ministries and other central authorities compose the main bodies of yleishallinto, together with the civil service that supports them.

The concept is typically contrasted with regional and local administration (aluehallinto and local municipal administration) and with specialized or sector-specific administration carried out by independent agencies or authorities. Yleishallinto aims to ensure uniform application of laws, coherent policy implementation, and nationwide governance, while regional and local administrations implement services closer to residents and adapt them to local needs. The exact organization of yleishallinto can evolve with reforms, but it remains the central, generalist layer of the state’s public sector. In administrative science and law, the term helps distinguish general governing functions from more specialized or local tasks.