Direct democracy in Switzerland

Abstract

The Cold War is over, communism is dead, and all world is a democracy in ascendance. But one country in world - Switzerland - is a direct democracy, in which, to an extent, people pass their own laws, judge constitutionality of statutes, and even have written, in effect, their own constitution. In this propitious volume, Gregory Fossedal reports on politics and social fabric of what James Bryce has called the nation that has taken democratic idea to its furthest extent. The lessons Fossedal presents, at a time of dissatisfaction with role of money and privileged elites in many Western democracies, are at once timely and urgent. In most Western democracies people make only a small number of decisions about economic or social policy for themselves. They hire experts and elect representatives to make many of these decisions. Every two, four, six years they hold another election to review last 10,000 or so decisions by those leaders and vote for one or two alternatives who will handle next cluster of thousands of decisions. Switzerland uses some of these devices, too, but, to a much greater extent than other democracies, Swiss voters make dozens and even hundreds of particular decisions themselves. A different spirit animates Swiss democracy and this different spirit produces different results. In Direct Democracy in Switzerland, Fossedal has developed a shrewd, sensitive overview of Switzerland's high notion of statecraft. He details reasons for studying Switzerland's distinctive institutions, and explores origins and development of ancient Swiss democracy, which reaches back a thousand years. He then elucidates working parts of Swiss democracy today, its constitution, executive branch, judiciary, parliament, referendums, and communities. Fossedal shows how Switzerland handles polltical questions common to all modern societies, such as education, taxes, crime, welfare, Holocaust. He concludes with ongoing debate over two very different visions of democracy, direct versus representative. This thorough report on Switzerland's unique political system will be of particular interest to political scientists, scholars, executives taking assignment in Switzerland, tourists, and general readers with an interest in political reform.