The research project studies the most important forms and styles of the President when exercising his or her power and how the President has succeeded in persuading other power elites to support her decisions in national crises.

In other words, the study aims, by analysing the informal powers, at surveying the President’s relationship with other state authorities, the effectiveness and development of the decision-making system, and finally pondering how these influence parliamentarianism and democracy.

The research is made by University of Helsinki and they have hired Master of Social Sciences Päivi Tiikkainen as a full-time researcher. The supervicors for the project are The President of the Supreme Administrative Court Pekka Hallberg, Doctor of Laws, Helsinki University Professor Emeritus in Political Sciences Tuomo Martikainen and Turku University Professor Emeritus in Political Sciences Jaakko Nousiainen.

The research takes place from 1 March 2007 to 28 February 2008 and is co-ordinated by K.J. Ståhlberg Foundation.

The donation totals EUR 76,835.