Competing Interests and the Reconstruction of Positions of Responsibility in Finnish Lapland: A Case Study of the Finnish Law of STR

While reshaping the operational environment of tourism, short-term renting (STR) has also transformed Finnish Lapland into a battle arena for the struggle of competing interests. Since the current law on STR is perceived as an ambiguous grey zone, influencing the law has become a central means for the different stakeholders to legitimize their interests as legally acceptable conduct and objectives. This chapter provides a legal perspective into the process of institutionalization of interests by examining the constitutive interrelation of law and society. By combining an empirical understanding of the local field of interests and doctrinal legal research with institutionalist and legal-theoretical notions, this multidisciplinary case study illustrates how competing interests are (re)constructing the positions of legal responsibilities and the normative reality of law. The study stresses the importance of comprehensively identifying competing interests and positions of influence constituted by law and societal power structures to reveal inequalities reaffirmed by law.