Swiss Democracy: Possible Solutions to Conflict in Multicultural Societies

by Wolf Linder, Sean Mueller

Overview

This open access book provides an updated and fully revised 4th edition of this authoritative analysis of Swiss democracy. It particularly explains the institutions of federalism and consensus government through political power sharing. In this new edition, the authors also address several important changes and challenges that have affected Swiss democracy, including the country's relationship with the EU, fiscal equalisation, direct democracy and the legitimacy of national referendums, territorial conflict, as well as the polarisation of party politics.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030632656
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	01/21/2021
Edition description:	4th ed. 2021
Pages:	295
Product dimensions:	5.83(w) x 8.27(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Wolf Linder is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and former Director of the Institute of Political Science at the University of Bern, Switzerland. He has held professorships in Lausanne and Bern and guest professorships in Geneva and Lucerne. His research has focused on Swiss institutions and politics. His publications include about 150 articles and 15 books. Texts of previous editions of Swiss Democracy have been translated into Polish, Arab, Nepali, Rumanian. On this basis, Linder still works as a lecturer in developing countries, where students as well as politicians are particularly interested in the Swiss experience of decentralisation, federalism and political power sharing

Sean Mueller obtained his PhD in Politics & Government from the University of Kent, UK, in 2013. His thesis dealt with decentralisation within the 26 Swiss cantons. Prior to his being in the UK, he worked for two years as Research Fellow at the Institute of Federalism of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Since 2013, he has been (Senior) Lecturer and Researcher at the Institute of Political Science, University of Berne, Switzerland. He also taught Swiss and Comparative Politics at the Universities of Lausanne (2016, 2017 and again in 2020) and Lucerne (since 2019). He has published extensively on Swiss federalism, direct democracy, and power sharing, and notably co-wrote a new version of the German-language textbook Schweizerische Demokratie with Wolf Linder in 2017.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction.- 2. Building a Multicultural Society by Political Integration.- 3. Federalism.- 4. Direct Democracy.- 5. Consensus Democracy: The Swiss System of Power-Sharing.- 6. Comparative Perspectives.- 7. Switzerland in Europe and the World.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

‘Much can be learned from this study. But the lesson of this book is not: do it like the Swiss, and everything will be fine. Rather: study the history and the institutions of Switzerland, adopt what seems to work and avoid the many pitfalls’.

—Jürg Steiner, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA and University of Bern, Switzerland, on the first edition (1994)

‘This new edition of Swiss Democracy lives up to both the far-reaching changes that the Swiss political system has experienced over the past decades under the influence of Europeanization and party system polarization, as well as to the dynamic development of political science research on Swiss politics. It is essential reading for scholars and practitioners alike who are interested in a critical appraisal of the development and dynamic development of Swiss consensus democracy’.

—Silja Häusermann, University of Zurich, Switzerland

‘Swiss Democracy provides a comprehensive and original analysis of the emergence, development, and various definitive features of this unique and complex political system – one characterized by extraordinary diffusion and sharing of powers among branches and levels of government as well as numerous constituencies. The authors explain the particularities of Swiss consensus democracy, federalism, direct democracy, and position in European and international politics, while also providing insightful comparative perspectives and potential lessons. This fourth fully revised edition sheds light on continuity as much as numerous changes and challenges to Swiss policies, politics and polity. It is a must-read for scholars of Swiss politics as well as comparative federalism and government that is also remarkably accessible for students, practitioners and a wider audience’.

—Jared Sonnicksen, Technical University of Darmstadt, Germany

Editorial Reviews

Linder (political science, U. of Bern) first analyzes the institutions of federalism and consensus democracy through political power-sharing, and then analyzes the scope and limits of citizens' participation in direct democracy--which distinguishes Switzerland most from parliamentary systems--showing how federalism and political power- sharing could help to resolve political conflict in other multicultural societies and to integrate different communities. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Reviews of the 2nd Edition:

'The real value of the book lies in its critical dissection of features of Swiss democracy that are frequently praised in theory but rarely assessed in practice. Linder shows that behind its apparent populist democracy lurks the power of interest groups. So he makes a contribution to thought about democracy which could have significant lessons for countries seeking to be democratic.' - G.W. Jones, Professor of Government, London School of Economics, University of London, UK

'Linder is not the first author trying to explain the Swiss system to foreigners. But he uniquely combines three features: a sound and comprehensive scientific bse, the personal competence of combining theoretical knowledge with the insights of practical political life, and the ability to ask critical questions on the way Swiss institutions work.' - Rene Levy, Professor of Sociology, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

'Wolf Linder's Swiss Democracy blends theoretical analysis with descriptive facility so as to present a vivid portrait of what is distinctive about the Swiss political system. It poses original questions which students are encouraged to ponder in comparative perspective to other systems.' - Arnold J. Heidenheimer, Professor of Political Science, Washington University, USA

From the Publisher