With the ongoing reform of public social and health services, the promotion of well-being and health is defined in municipalities in a new way which underlines the local approaches and collaborative action. In this article, we examine how the small (municipality) and big (regional organization of social and health services) well-being policies recognize and acknowledge the local conditions and communal resources in the promotion of well-being and health. The interviews with the representatives of municipalities, the regional organization of social and health services, and civic society were undertaken in the case study of North Karelia. The analysis method of close reading was executed under the following themes: the approaches to the promotion of well-being, the acknowledgement of different local conditions in rural environments, and the cooperation between municipalities, the regional organization of social and health services and civic society. The promotion of well-being appears as action that is mainly managed by municipalities but is not possible to execute without the mutual understanding and cooperation with the regional organization of social and health services or the contribution of civic society. The expectations for more extensive and gathering cooperation are high in all groups, but the possibilities, forms and success of cooperation depend on existing communal resources in each municipality, supportive structures for dialogue, understanding of local conditions and, above all, different kinds of approaches to the promotion of well-being. The research revealed three approaches, government-, action-and community-oriented, which influence on the ways municipalities recognize and acknowledge different kinds of communal resources, and thence cooperation with civic society and further with the regional organization of social and health services.

Johdanto Valmisteilla oleva maakunta-ja sote-uudistus siirtää sosiaali-ja terveyspalvelujen järjestämisvastuun kunnista maakuntiin. Tämä merkitsee kuntien roolin muuttumista. Tulevaisuuden kuntien keskeisenä tehtävänä korostuu elinvoiman sekä hyvinvoinnin ja terveyden edistäminen, niin sanottu hyte-työ. Kyse on toimista, joilla lisätään väestön hyvinvointia ja sosiaalista osallisuutta sekä terveyttä ja toimintakykyä (STM 2018). Työ ei ole sinänsä uutta, mutta uudistuksen myötä tehtävä määrittyy kunnis-