The Finnish Ministry for foreign affairs has awarded the Åland Islands Peace Institute a grant of € 40.000 for research on the Åland example. The purpose of the research project, which has the working title ‘The Åland
example: Still interesting and relevant?’, is to produce an updated publication about the Åland example in its entirety, aimed at an international audience.

The research will examine the dynamic nature and development of Ålandic self-governance and investigate how the system has changed over time, who the central actors in this development are and have been, and how tensions between Mariehamn and Helsinki have been managed. The research project will also gather and analyze the insights of experienced diplomats, experts and politicians in respect to the application of the Åland example in international conflict situations.

The project will result in a book in English and in a large international conference on Åland in the autumn of 2011. The project is led by the director of the Åland Islands Peace Institute, Sia Spiliopoulou Åkermark, associate professor in international law. Contributing to the project are amongst others Sarah Stephan and Heidi Öst, researchers at the Åland Islands Peace Institute.