The Politics of Switzerland: Continuity and Change in a Consensus Democracy

Half-title
Title
Copyright
Contents
Figures
Tables
Preface
Abbreviations
1 The development of the modern Swiss
nation-state
1.1 State formation
1.2 Nation building
1.3 Switzerland: a nation-state?
1.4 Conclusion
2 Neutrality
2.1 Introduction
2.2 The traditional meaning of neutrality
2.3 Swiss neutrality today: orphan of its substance?
2.4 The future of neutrality: living with the empty shell
3 Federalism
3.1 The gradual consolidation
3.2 Cantonal autonomy vis-à-vis the federal level
3.3 Federal dependency at the cantonal level
3.4 Cooperative federalism
3.5 Assessing Swiss federalism
3.6 Conclusion: reforming Swiss federalism
4 Direct democracy
4.1 The institutions of direct democracy
4.2 The logic and use of referendums and popular initiatives
4.3 Voting in direct-democratic processes
4.4 Conclusion
5 The Swiss system of government
5.1 Introduction
5.2 The Federal Parliament
5.3 The Federal Council
5.4 The future of the Swiss system of government
6 The party system
6.1 Introduction
6.2 The fragmentation of the Swiss party system
6.3 The structuring of the party system
6.4 The parties as organizations
6.5 The transformation of the party system
6.6 Conclusion
7 Interest associations and
labour relations
7.1 Introduction
7.2 The structuring of the system of business
interest associations
7.3 The structuring of the unions
7.4 Labour relations: social partnership
7.5 Other associations and actors
7.6 Conclusion
8 The decision-making process
8.1 Introduction
8.2 The pre-parliamentary phase
8.3 The parliamentary phase
8.4 The direct-democratic phase
8.5 The implementation phase
8.6 The transformation of the decision-making process:
internationalization
8.7 The transformation of the decision-making process: the
changing national context
8.8 Conclusion
9 Economic policy: liberalization
under constraints
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Structural reforms
Internal liberalization
Fiscal reform
9.3 Other factors
The labour market
Macro-economic policy
Investment
9.4 Conclusion
10 Social policy: the Swiss welfare state
10.1 Introduction
10.2 The origins of the specificities of the Swiss welfare state
The impact of a Reformed Protestant culture
The impact of federalism
The impact of direct democracy
10.3 Factors behind the catching-up
Autodynamic processes
Institutional factors
10.4 Factors contributing to the structural transformation
10.5 Conclusion
11 Foreign policy: Switzerland and
the EU
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Historical overview
Stage one: initial multilateral failures (1955–72)
Stage two: stagnation (1972–86)
Stage three: further multilateral failure (1986–92)
Stage four: enhanced unilateral and bilateral integration (1993–2007)
11.3 Prospects for accession
11.4 Switzerland’s European future: customized quasi-membership
Appendix
References
Index