Download or read book Conflict and Consensus in Switzerland written by Carol L. Schmid and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 1981-01-01 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Schmid discusses this anomaly, concluding that Switzerland remains "united by a self-conscious political definition of nationhood", having developed a system early in its history that has ensured all ethnic and religious groups fair treatment politically, socially, and economically.
Download or read book Political Decision Making in Switzerland written by P. Sciarini and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-06-15 with total page 301 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This in-depth study of the decision-making processes of the early 2000s shows that the Swiss consensus democracy has changed considerably. Power relations have transformed, conflict has increased, coalitions have become more unstable and outputs less predictable. Yet these challenges to consensus politics provide opportunities for innovation.
Download or read book Swiss Democracy written by Wolf Linder and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-01-20 with total page 310 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Swiss Democracy written by W. Linder and published by Springer. This book was released on 1998-02-12 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An authoriative analysis of Swiss democracy, the institutions of federalism, and consensus democracy through political power sharing. Linder analyses the scope and limits of citizen's participation in direct democracy, which distinguishes Switzerland most from parliamentary systems. Central and Eastern Europe and all countries with minority problems could learn much of value from this study.
Download or read book Conflict and Consensus in Switzerland written by Carol L. Schmid and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2024-03-29 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Switzerland has long been an enigma in this age of cultural nationalism: Its people speak four different languages and practice two major religions yet have managed to live in relative harmony. At a time when the internal solidity of many countries is being shattered by discordant ethnic groups, the situation in Switzerland lends credibility to the refreshing perspective that peaceful co-existence of heterogeneous people is indeed possible. Schmid analyzes the development of Switzerland's harmonious ethnic diversity, arguing that this country has been able to establish a common "civic culture" that transcends cultural and ethnic boundaries and provides the foundation for the toleration among the various linguistic and religions groups that is generally evident today. Regional autonomy, linguistic equality, a coalition of the political leaders of all the major communities, and proportionality for parliamentary election and allocation of civil service appointment has helped the diverse groups achieve a stable an relatively amicable confederation of cantons. Though surrounded by countries that define nationalism linguistically, Switzerland defies this norm and is instead united by a self-conscious politcal definition of nationhood. Schmid also examines the delicate problems this vital country now faces: How will it deal with the political status of the Jura--a region repeatedly threatened by intense linguistic and religious conflict, and what will be the fate of that voiceless, non-national, political minority--the foreign workers who threaten to disrupt Switzerland's complex balance of ethnic forces? This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.
Download or read book Swiss Democracy written by Wolf Linder and published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book was released on 1994 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The features of Swiss democracy are frequently praised in theory but rarely assessed in practice. In this book Wolf Linder explains the way government and politics work in Switzerland. Combining the essence of many empirical studies with own observations, and giving illustrative examples, the author thoroughly analyses the institutions of federalism and consensus democracy through political power-sharing." "With the critical eye of a political scientist, Linder then analyses the scope and limits of citizens' participation in direct democracy - which distinguishes Switzerland most from parliamentary systems." "The value of the book goes beyond describing Switzerland and its political integration between different languages, religions and cultures. Analysing the nature of Swiss politics, Linder shows how federalism and political powersharing could help to resolve political conflict in other multicultural societies and to integrate different communities. Central and Eastern Europe, as well as countries with minority problems, could learn much of value from this study."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Download or read book Amicable Agreement Versus Majority Rule written by Jürg Steiner and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2018-08-25 with total page 294 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When the German edition of Steiner's masterful analysis of Switzerland's political system was first published in 1970 as Gewaltlose Politik und kulturelle Vielfalt, it was greeted by the American Political Science Review as a laudable departure from conventional comparative series." This new edition, extensively revised and expanded, makes Steiner's innovative study available to political theorists in the English-speaking world." Originally published 1974. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.
Download or read book Swiss Democracy written by Wolf Linder and published by Palgrave Macmillan. This book was released on 2010-05-15 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An updated third edition of this authoriative analysis of Swiss democracy, the institutions of federalism, and consensus democracy through political power sharing. Linder analyses the scope and limits of citizen's participation in direct democracy, which distinguishes Switzerland from most parliamentary systems.
Download or read book The Radical Right in Switzerland written by Damir Skenderovic and published by Berghahn Books. This book was released on 2009-09-01 with total page 489 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: There has been a tendency amongst scholars to view Switzerland as a unique case, and comparative scholarship on the radical right has therefore shown little interest in the country. Yet, as the author convincingly argues, there is little justification for maintaining the notion of Swiss exceptionalism, and excluding the Swiss radical right from cross-national research. His book presents the first comprehensive study of the development of the radical right in Switzerland since the end of the Second World War and therefore fills a significant gap in our knowledge. It examines the role that parties and political entrepreneurs of the populist right, intellectuals and publications of the New Right, as well as propagandists and militant groups of the extreme right assume in Swiss politics and society. The author shows that post-war Switzerland has had an electorally and discursively important radical right since the 1960s that has exhibited continuity and persistence in its organizations and activities. Recently, this has resulted in the consolidation of a diverse Swiss radical right that is now established at various levels within the political and public arena.
Download or read book Swiss Monetary History since the Early 19th Century written by Ernst Baltensperger and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2017-08-03 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book describes the remarkable path which led to the Swiss Franc becoming the strong international currency that it is today. Ernst Baltensperger and Peter Kugler use Swiss monetary history to provide valuable insights into a number of issues concerning the organization and development of monetary institutions and currency that shaped the structure of financial markets and affected the economic course of a country in important ways. They investigate a number of topics, including the functioning of a world without a central bank, the role of competition and monopoly in money and banking, the functioning of monetary unions, monetary policy of small open economies under fixed and flexible exchange rates, the stability of money demand and supply under different monetary regimes, and the monetary and macroeconomic effects of Swiss Banking and Finance. Swiss Monetary History since the Early 19th Century illustrates the value of monetary history for understanding financial markets and macroeconomics today.
Download or read book Electoral Systems and Conflict in Divided Societies written by Ben Reilly and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 1999-05-04 with total page 73 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This paper is one of a series being prepared for the National Research Council's Committee on International Conflict Resolution. The committee was organized in late 1995 to respond to a growing need for prevention, management, and resolution of violent conflict in the international arena, a concern about the changing nature and context of such conflict in the post-Cold War era, and a recent expansion of knowledge in the field. The committee's main goal is to advance the practice of conflict resolution by using the methods and critical attitude of science to examine the effectiveness of various techniques and concepts that have been advanced for preventing, managing, and resolving international conflicts. The committee's research agenda has been designed to supplement the work of other groups, particularly the Carnegie Corporation of New York's Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, which issued its final report in December 1997. The committee has identified a number of specific techniques and concepts of current interest to policy practitioners and has asked leading specialists on each one to carefully review and analyze available knowledge and to summarize what is known about the conditions under which each is or is not effective. These papers present the results of their work.
Download or read book The Politics of Switzerland written by Hanspeter Kriesi and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-10-02 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Despite Switzerland's small size, its political system is one of the most complex and fascinating among contemporary democracies. The rich, complex mixture of centuries-old institutions and the refined political arrangements that exist today constitute a veritable laboratory for social scientists and their students. Often presented as the paradigmatic case of political integration, consensus democracy and multinational federalism, the Swiss model has become a benchmark case for analyses in comparative politics, political behaviour and other related fields. Written by two leading experts on Swiss politics, this book presents a definitive overview for scholars and students interested in Switzerland's political system at the beginning of the twenty-first century. By focusing on its intricacies but also taking in larger issues of general interest, the broad scope of this study will appeal to all those interested in contemporary European politics and democratic systems.
Download or read book Intergovernmental Relations in Divided Societies written by Yonatan T. Fessha and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-01-10 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This edited volume examines the form and operation of intergovernmental relations in divided societies. Using eight country case studies, it explores the interplay between politicised ethno-cultural diversity and intergovernmental relations (IGR) in countries where the distinctive identity of at least one subnational unit is acknowledged in a form of territorial autonomy. The book examines whether and how the distinctive identity of particular subnational units and the attending competing constitutional visions shape the dynamics of IGR. The goal here is not simply to determine whether intergovernmental interactions in such societies are less cordial and more conflictual than in other societies. Such interaction in any society could be strained as a result of disagreement over specific policy objectives. The question is whether the distinctive identity of particular subnational units and the attending competing constitutional visions themselves have been a primary source of intergovernmental tension. The book also examines the impact of identity politics on institutions and instruments of IGR, determining whether the ethno-cultural divide and the tension it creates have the tendency to affect the type of institutions and instruments employed in IGR. It is also about the relevance and effectiveness of institutions and instruments of IGR in acknowledging and accommodating the distinctive identities and specific demands of subnational units, thereby contributing to the peaceful management of divided societies.
Download or read book Why Civil Resistance Works written by Erica Chenoweth and published by Columbia University Press. This book was released on 2011-08-09 with total page 451 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For more than a century, from 1900 to 2006, campaigns of nonviolent resistance were more than twice as effective as their violent counterparts in achieving their stated goals. By attracting impressive support from citizens, whose activism takes the form of protests, boycotts, civil disobedience, and other forms of nonviolent noncooperation, these efforts help separate regimes from their main sources of power and produce remarkable results, even in Iran, Burma, the Philippines, and the Palestinian Territories. Combining statistical analysis with case studies of specific countries and territories, Erica Chenoweth and Maria J. Stephan detail the factors enabling such campaigns to succeed and, sometimes, causing them to fail. They find that nonviolent resistance presents fewer obstacles to moral and physical involvement and commitment, and that higher levels of participation contribute to enhanced resilience, greater opportunities for tactical innovation and civic disruption (and therefore less incentive for a regime to maintain its status quo), and shifts in loyalty among opponents' erstwhile supporters, including members of the military establishment. Chenoweth and Stephan conclude that successful nonviolent resistance ushers in more durable and internally peaceful democracies, which are less likely to regress into civil war. Presenting a rich, evidentiary argument, they originally and systematically compare violent and nonviolent outcomes in different historical periods and geographical contexts, debunking the myth that violence occurs because of structural and environmental factors and that it is necessary to achieve certain political goals. Instead, the authors discover, violent insurgency is rarely justifiable on strategic grounds.
Download or read book The Political Economy of Capital Cities written by Heike Mayer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-11 with total page 351 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Capital cities that are not the dominant economic centers of their nations – so-called ‘secondary capital cities’ (SCCs) – tend to be overlooked in the fields of economic geography and political science. Yet, capital cities play an important role in shaping the political, economic, social and cultural identity of a nation. As the seat of power and decision-making, capital cities represent a nation’s identity not only through their symbolic architecture but also through their economies and through the ways in which they position themselves in national urban networks. The Political Economy of Capital Cities aims to address this gap by presenting the dynamics that influence policy and economic development in four in-depth case studies examining the SCCs of Bern, Ottawa, The Hague and Washington, D.C. In contrast to traditional accounts of capital cities, this book conceptualizes the modern national capital as an innovation-driven economy influenced by national, local and regional actors. Nationally, overarching trends in the direction of outsourcing and tertiarization of the public-sector influence the fate of capital cities. Regional policymakers in all four of the highlighted cities leverage the presence of national government agencies and stimulate the economy by way of various locational policy strategies. While accounting for their secondary status, this book illustrates how capital-city actors such as firms, national, regional and local governments, policymakers and planning practitioners are keenly aware of the unique status of their city. The conclusion provides practical recommendations for policymakers in SCCs and highlights ways in which they can help to promote economic development.
Download or read book Patterns of Democracy written by Arend Lijphart and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2012-01-01 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examining 36 democracies from 1945 to 2010, this text arrives at conclusions about what type of democracy works best. It demonstrates that consensual systems stimulate economic growth, control inflation and unemployment, and limit budget deficits.
Download or read book The Cold War in the Classroom written by Barbara Christophe and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2019-10-23 with total page 471 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is open access under a CC BY 4.0 license. This book explores how the socially disputed period of the Cold War is remembered in today’s history classroom. Applying a diverse set of methodological strategies, the authors map the dividing lines in and between memory cultures across the globe, paying special attention to the impact the crisis-driven age of our present has on images of the past. Authors analysing educational media point to ambivalence, vagueness and contradictions in textbook narratives understood to be echoes of societal and academic controversies. Others focus on teachers and the history classroom, showing how unresolved political issues create tensions in history education. They render visible how teachers struggle to handle these challenges by pretending that what they do is ‘just history’. The contributions to this book unveil how teachers, backgrounding the political inherent in all memory practices, often nourish the illusion that the history in which they are engaged is all about addressing the past with a reflexive and disciplined approach.
