Swiss Federation Research Articles

SMOKE ON THE WATER: HES AT 50 AND THE NON-NEUTRALITY OF HISTORY

Recently, I participated in the thesis defense on an eminently local subject, political economic writing in the eighteenth century in the cantons of Vaud (where I live and teach) and Berne (which at the time had occupied the Canton of Vaud) in Switzerland. I will spare you the details of this 700-pages-thick thesis, with an appendix of another 200 pages, which was not even about political economic writing in all of the Swiss Federation, but only in these two small regions in one of the most beautiful spots of Europe. But I became mesmerized by the profoundness of the political economic thinking of a group of now largely forgotten administrators and members of the Swiss socio-economic elite that grappled with questions of how to position their economic doings against a Europe that was plagued by the early eighteenth-century War of Succession, questions about the economic consequences not of population growth but of population decline, and the consequences of what David Hume has characterized so well as the “Jealousy of Trade” between the emerging European colonial empires. More in particular, these local men of politics and power were concerned with if and how they could preserve the agricultural system of common pastures—that were to figure prominently in Elinor Ostrom’s early studies of the “commons”—or whether they should copy the English model of enclosures that seemed to promise agricultural innovation and economic growth. How would this pan out for the means of existence of the local population? And, of course, what would this mean for their own economic and political interests and standing? All these concerns brought them in conversation with the work of such writers as François Forbonnais, Richard Cantillon, the Physiocrats, and Scottish philosophers such as Hume, James Steuart, and Adam Smith, with some of whom they were also in correspondence. The measures the local elites implemented on the basis of these discussions were consequential for such important issues as land use, manufacture and commerce, and poor relief. Unsurprisingly perhaps, the thesis was supervised by one of Istvan Hont’s students, Béla Kapossy, a professor in the history department of the University of Lausanne.

Abstracts of the 5th SFCNS Congress—Swiss Federation of Clinical Neuro-Societies Basel, Switzerland, September 28–30, 2022

On behalf of the SFCNS, Swiss Federation of Clinical Neuro-Societies, we are pleased to present the abstracts of the 5th SFCNS Congress, which is held in Basel, Switzerland, September 28–30, 2022. In total, 169 abstracts were selected for an ePoster, of which 55 were presented as short presentations during the ePoster Sessions and 5 were presented at the YouCliN Research Award Session. We congratulate all the presenters on their research work and contribution.

The Charles Secrétan’s Philosophy of Freedom

The article is dedicated to the unknown in our country philosophy of Swiss thinker Charles Secrétan (1815–1895). Secrétan’s thought is illustrated with the translation of two letters extracted from Renouvier and Secrétan’s Correspondence (1910). Kant’s philosophy of religion and morals was its starting point as well late Schelling’s philosophy. But though Secrétan started with this intellectual heritage, he did not accept all Kant’s and Schelling’s doctrines. This conclusion is relevant even in relation to Alexander Vinet, his senior friend and spiritual master too. Therefore for the deep understanding of Secrétan’s philosophy of freedom it is necessary to pay attention to the historical and cultural context of the Swiss federation and the canton Vaud especially.

Cybernetic crisis management in a federal system—Insights from the Covid pandemic

AbstractWe aim to contribute to improving the management of pandemic crises. Our focus is on federal systems, as these are particularly powerful in dealing with environmental complexity. Through four waves of the pandemic, spanning a year and a half, we studied crisis management based on the case of the Swiss Federation. This research concentrates on three research questions: (1) How is the management of the Covid‐19‐Crisis organized in Switzerland? (2) How effective is this organization in coping with the dynamics of emergency? (3) What lessons can be learned for the design of a crisis management in the future? We apply the Viable System Model (VSM) as a framework for our study, elaborating a diagnosis and a design for the management of epidemic or pandemic crises. The VSM is a conceptual tool that is particularly strong for analysing federal systems. Hence, substantial insights have surfaced to orientate a future crisis management.

Midwives’ perception of advantages of health care at a distance during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland

ObjectiveTo explore midwives' perceptions of the advantages of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland. DesignCross-sectional study based on an online survey using quantitative methods. SettingMidwives working in Switzerland. ParticipantsSelf-selected convenience sample of 630 members of the Swiss Federation of Midwives. MeasurementOpen questions on advantages of health care at a distance and workrelated characteristics were used in the online questionnaire. The information was coded and integrative content analysis was applied. FindingsA good half of the respondents associated telemedicine with either an advantage beyond the pandemic (“Reduced workload”, “Improved health care provision”, “Greater self-care of clients”), while the others saw a pandemic-related advantage (“Protection from COVID-19”, “Maintaining care/counseling in an exceptional situation”), or no advantage at all. Older, more experienced midwives were less likely to see an advantage beyond the pandemic. The motive “Reduced workload” was positively associated with professionals aged younger than 40 years and midwives with up to 14 years of professional experience, and “Protection from COVID-19” was more likely cited by midwives aged 50 and more and by midwives working solely in hospitals. Midwives who stated “Maintaining care” and “Improved health care provision” as motives to embrace telemedicine were more likely to experience health care at a distance as a positive treatment alternative. Key conclusionMidwives’ perceptions of the advantages of health care at a distance vary substantially with age and years of professional experience, as well as workrelated characteristics. Further research is necessary to acquire a sound understanding of underlying reasons, including the sources of the general attitudes involved. Implication for practice: Understanding the differences in perceptions of health care at a distance is important in order to improve the work situation of midwives and the health care they provide to women and families. Different sensitivities represent an important source in the ongoing discussion about the future use of telemedicine in health care.

Let’s coordinate! The reinforcement of a ‘liberal bastion’ within European Industrial Federations, 1978-1987

This article focuses on the establishment in the 1970s of a new international private governance forum, the so-called ‘Interlaken Conferences’, which gathered together the leading figures of the Industrial Federations of the Federal Republic of Germany, Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. It therefore contributes to the literature dealing with business interest associations’ (BIAs) international alliances, and to the growing corpus analysing BIAs’ political strategies in tackling the 1970s social unrest and economic crisis. Thanks to archival sources from the Swiss Federation of Commerce and Industry, this article examines the calculated efforts by Interlaken participants to secure a ‘liberal bastion’ of European industrial federations that could impose its views within other official international BIAs. By improving coordination, the participants sought to defend common liberal economic principles and to fight against adverse economic policies such as protectionism and state intervention in the economy.

Comparative analysis of dimethyl fumarate and fingolimod in relapsing\u2013remitting multiple sclerosis

BackgroundDimethyl fumarate and fingolimod are oral disease modifying treatments (DMTs) that reduce relapse activity and slow disability worsening in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS).ObjectiveTo compare the effectiveness of dimethyl fumarate and fingolimod in a real-world setting, where both agents are licensed as a first-line DMT for the treatment of RRMS.MethodsWe identified patients with RRMS commencing dimethyl fumarate or fingolimod in the Swiss Federation for Common Tasks of Health Insurances (SVK) Registry between August 2014 and July 2019. Propensity score-matching was applied to select subpopulations with comparable baseline characteristics. Relapses and disability outcomes were compared in paired, pairwise-censored analyses.ResultsOf the 2113 included patients, 1922 were matched (dimethyl fumarate, n = 961; fingolimod, n = 961). Relapse rates did not differ between the groups (incident rate ratio 1.0, 95%CI 0.8–1.2, p = 0.86). Moreover, no difference in the hazard of 1-year confirmed disability worsening (hazard ratio [HR] 0.9; 95%CI 0.6–1.6; p = 0.80) or disability improvement (HR 0.9; 95%CI 0.6–1.2; p = 0.40) was detected. These findings were consistent both for treatment-naïve patients and patients switching from another DMT.ConclusionDimethyl fumarate and fingolimod have comparable effectiveness regarding reduction of relapses and disability worsening in RRMS.

Federalism and the Challenges of Democratization in Nigeria: Lessons from the Swiss Model

Switzerland, a country composed of four major language groups, is comprised of 26 cantons and many municipalities, with each canton being linguistically homogenous, has always been a model of a federal state that is practising an inclusive democracy. The Nigerian federation, on the other hand, has evolved from a colonial federal legacy that was based on three unwieldy component regions into a union of 36 states and 774 constitutionally entrenched localities. Pressures for fundamental federal reforms have remained a persistent, intense and divisive feature of contemporary Nigerian politics, characterised by ethnic, religious and regional contestations that frequently produce episodes of violence. The paper examines the impact of federalism and Democratization process in Nigeria with particular focus on governance, political representation and participation using the Swiss federalism as a model in a comparative perspective. Both primary and secondary sources of data are applied with the theory of Separation of Powers guiding the discourse in the paper. The findings suggest that the Swiss federation has been built into a state where governance is institutionalised, while diversity is seen as strength with the people and the cantons well represented through participation in decision making, whereas in Nigeria, the practice of federalism has thrown up many challenges of governance. The paper recommends that Nigeria should borrow a leaf from the Swiss model of federalism through the devolution of power and decentralisation of functions from the federal government to the states and local governments. Also, Nigeria could adopt the Swiss model of direct democracy, which would allow for more citizens' participation in decision making and governance.

„Das Vorarlberger Volk will leben und nicht zugrunde gehen“ Die Vorarlberger Anschlussbewegung an die Schweiz 1918–1920 aus staatsrechtlicher Sicht

This article examines the political ambitions of the Austrian Land Vorarlberg to join the Swiss Federation in the years 1918 to 1920 from a constitutional point of view. While the Swiss opinions were divided on that issue, the Austrian government in Vienna tried to prevent the separation of Vorarlberg from the rest of Austria. By contrast, the government of Vorarlberg referred to the right of self-determination. However, the efforts of Vorarlberg to secede from the new Austrian Republic ultimately failed, because of the political realities and the prevailing historical circumstances. Eventually, the Land Vorarlberg integrated seamlessly into the Austrian federation.

Reforming autonomy? The fiscal impact of the Swiss federal reform 2008

ABSTRACT The Swiss federal reform 2008 (NFA) has been a major undertaking in the recent history of the Swiss federation, with the re-allocation of policy tasks being a key component of the reform. So far, research has focused in particular on the decision-making process of the reform. This paper focuses on the fiscal impacts by asking whether the re-allocation of tasks has changed the vertical distribution of fiscal resources and whether these changes have increased fiscal autonomy of subnational governments. The paper shows that subnational government expenditure as well as non-earmarked federal government grants have increased slightly. At the same time, however, revenue has not increased correspondingly. This has imposed strong limitations on subnational fiscal autonomy and has led to a deterioration rather than an improvement of the situation of subnational governments in federal Switzerland. The paper concludes with suggestions for further research on constitutional change in federal states.

How Swiss primary students interpret a national monument

Since historical monuments are often difficult to interpret, this study commences with the questions, how do students understand historical monuments and in what ways are they able to describe and interpret them? The focus of our paper is a monument showing Arnold Winkelried, a leading Swiss national figure that nine Swiss students of Grades 5 and 6 studied. Winkelried is a legendary Swiss hero who sacrificed himself to bring about Swiss victory over the Austrian Habsburgs in the Battle of Sempach in 1386. As an iconic, symbolic source of Swiss national cultural heritage, he is representative of the establishment of the young Swiss Federation's history culture in the second half of the nineteenth century. The study's mainly oral research data was collected by means of focus groups (Bohnsack, 2010). The discussions with the students were recorded, transcribed and analysed using a documentary method (Straub, 1999), that is, we reconstructed typical patterns of description. The findings first indicated that students find it difficult to observe and describe such monuments appropriately. Indeed, the students tended to begin the process by guessing what they were observing. Second, the findings show that through the interviewer's prompts – accurate observations and descriptions – during the focus group sessions, students can activate prior knowledge and thus engage with the historical topic.

Comparative analysis of natalizumab versus fingolimod as second-line treatment in relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis

Background: No randomized controlled trials have compared the efficacy of fingolimod or natalizumab as second-line treatment in patients with relapsing–remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). Objective: To compare clinical outcomes after escalation to fingolimod versus natalizumab in patients with clinically active RRMS. Methods: Using the registry of the Swiss Federation for Common Tasks of Health Insurances, we identified patients with RRMS and ≥1 relapse in the year before switching from interferon beta or glatiramer acetate to fingolimod or natalizumab. Propensity score matching was used to select patients with comparable baseline characteristics. Relapse and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) outcomes were compared in paired, pairwise-censored analyses. Results: Of the 547 included patients, 358 were matched (fingolimod, n = 179; natalizumab, n = 179). Median follow-up time was 1.8 years (interquartile range 0.9–2.9). Patients switching to natalizumab had a lower risk of relapses (incidence rate ratio 0.5, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3–0.8, p = 0.001) and were more likely to experience EDSS improvement (hazard ratio (HR) 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.7, p = 0.01) compared to fingolimod. We found no differences in the proportion of patients free from EDSS progression (HR 0.9, 95% CI 0.5–1.5, p = 0.62). Conclusion: Natalizumab seems to be more effective in reducing relapse rate and improving disability compared with fingolimod.

Challenges and prospects in the public health research system in the occupied Palestinian territory: a qualitative study

BackgroundA public health research system is the bedrock of health systems to improve population health, system responsiveness, and equity. An international concern, referred to as the 10/90 gap, is that less than 10% of global funds are devoted to diseases or conditions that account for 90% of the global disease burden, particularly in developing countries. Palestinian health research is progressing, but it is not sufficiently investigated, with a remarkable knowledge gap on its conceptualisation, stewardship, stakeholders, and capacity and resources. The aim of this study was to understand the Palestinian public health research system by investigating challenges related to the system components that need to be strengthened. MethodsThe study was done in the Gaza Strip and West Bank in the occupied Palestinian territory between January and July, 2016. We targeted relevant government institutions, academic schools, and large local and international health agencies. Data were collected through 52 in-depth interviews and six focus group discussions with policy makers, academics, and experts. Participants and institutions were selected purposively on the basis of stated criteria and peer review. Data were translated, transcribed, checked, and imported into MAXQDA 12 for thematic and content analysis. Approvals were obtained from The Research Commission of Swiss TPH, “Ethikkommission Nordwest- und Zentralschweiz” (EKNZ) in Switzerland, the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Helsinki Committee, and An-Najah National University in Palestine. FindingsThe health research system is not well structured, whereas public health research is promising but probably without regulated national policies. Most experts emphasised that governance is not clearly framed in managing research functions, whereas public health research activities are most likely scattered and individually driven. There is a consensus that the concept of the health research system is misunderstood and that the system is underperforming because of various problems such as resource insufficiency. Research is also not fundamentally at the heart of the political agenda or itemised in central budgets. Besides workforce scarcity with poor incentives and infrastructure, priorities in public health research are inconsistent and efforts are uncoordinated with poor multidisciplinary research. Dissemination and application of the public health research agenda among stakeholders are lacking. The research culture seems to be insufficiently cultivated. The international support to the public health research system is inconspicuous although some initiatives have been successful. The overall environment in the occupied Palestinian territory formed one of obstacles of the public health research system. Precious opportunities are proposed to strengthen public health research system synergistically through best strategies. InterpretationThe occupied Palestinian territory is a fertile place for growth of public health research system activity. Development actions should therefore be taken to get the system materialised by reactivating a unified governance body that cooperatively manages the national policies, capacities, priorities, research utilisation, and application of the public health research system. FundingThe Swiss Federation and Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute.

From Midwifery to Maïeutique: Lost in Translation

AIMTo understand the meaning and impact of translating “midwifery” into “maïeutique” as proposed in The Lancet Series on Midwifery.METHODSLinguistic change in terminology was analyzed by comparing English/French translations, reviewing the French literature, and analyzing the results of a survey among French-speaking midwives' associations.FINDINGSTranslation comparisons and French literature showed that the use of “maïeutique” was far from the definition given in The Lancet Series. Results of the survey conducted by the Swiss Federation of Midwives showed that the terms “maïeuticien” and “maïeutique” gained little acceptance.CONCLUSIONIt is important that the chosen term is meaningful to the French-speaking population, midwives, and stakeholders. Such a name change deserves a consultation with the French-speaking midwives and careful consideration of all the possible implications.

Winkelried-Denkmal - also : Denk' mal! Lernmaterialien zum Winkelried-denkmal in Stans

In the focus of the presented teaching materials lies the monument for Winkelried, the hero of the battle of Sempach in 1386. It is a source of national culture of remembrance of the young Swiss Federation in the second half of the 19th century. This monument serves as example for fostering the students’ involvement with history in the public space, i.e. students should acquire the skills to self-initiatedly observe and discern this public space and to expose themselves autonomously to its phenomena. Therefore, the monument is contextualized in seven contexts. The monument or its contexts can either be the starting point or the objective of the pupils’ historical enquiry. The teaching materials are published on the webpage of the «Nidwaldner Museum».

Vertical influence or horizontal coordination? The purpose of intergovernmental councils in Switzerland

ABSTRACTIn 1993, the Swiss cantons established the conference of cantonal governments (KdK). While the literature on Swiss federalism generally acknowledges the important role of the KdK, little is known about its specific purpose, in particular compared to other, older intergovernmental councils operating in Switzerland. We therefore investigate the purpose of the KdK and contrast it with two other intercantonal conferences with nationwide scope, namely those on education and finance. To do so, we trace two of the most important federal reform processes of the last decade: the latest renewal of fiscal equalization and educational harmonization. We find a division of labour between the KdK and policy-specific councils. While the former aims at vertical political influence, the latter primarily engage in genuine horizontal policy coordination. This flexible and smooth interplay of the two types of councils has contributed to further strengthening the political role of the cantons in the Swiss federation.

Editorial introductions

Current Opinion in Neurology was launched in 1988. It is one of a successful series of review journals whose unique format is designed to provide a systematic and critical assessment of the literature as presented in the many primary journals. The field of neurology is divided into 14 sections that are reviewed once a year. Each section is assigned a Section Editor, a leading authority in the area, who identifies the most important topics at that time. Here we are pleased to introduce the Journal's Section Editors for this issue. SECTION EDITORS Stefan KlöppelStefan KlöppelStefan Klöppel is Director of the University Hospital of Old Age Psychiatry in Bern, Switzerland. Until recently, he has been head of the Freiburg Brain Imaging research unit which is dedicated to MRI research with a clinical focus. After medical school, Stefan Klöppel took positions as clinical research fellow at the Department of Neurology in Hamburg, Germany and at University College London, UK. He finished his specialisation in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy in Freiburg with a clinical focus on old age psychiatry and dementia. His research is focused on neurodegenerative disorders. One aspect is the modification of machine learning techniques to apply them to MRI for an early and accurate diagnosis. These methods are highly flexible and are able to separate patients with a wide range of diseases. More recently, he took interest in non-invasive brain stimulation techniques where he seeks to identify protocols sufficiently robust for the application in clinical routine. He currently combines these stimulation methods with imaging to gain insight into the underlying mechanisms. Claudio L. BassettiClaudio L. BassettiProfessor Claudio L. Bassetti was born and raised in Ticino (Southern Switzerland), is married and father of three boys. He speaks six languages and enjoys history, literature, music, sports, and travelling. Claudio Bassetti received his MD degree from the University of Basel in 1984 and trained in neurology in Bern and Lausanne (FMH degree in 1992). He performed two research fellowships in basic neurophysiology (Basel, 1985–1986) and sleep medicine (Ann Arbor-Michigan, USA, 1995–6). In 1997 he became “Privatdozent” (associate professor) at the University of Bern. In 2000 he was appointed Professor of neurology at the university of Zurich and Director of the neurological outpatient clinics of the university hospital. In 2009 he founded the neurocenter of Southern Switzerland in Lugano which he directed until 2012. Since 2012 he is full professor of neurology at the university of Bern and director of the neurology department at the university hospital. Claudio Bassetti has authored eight books and over 350 scientific publications. His topics of interest include general neurology, sleep, stroke, movement disorders, and translational/animal research. He served as president of the European Neurological Society (ENS, 2013–4), European Sleep Research Society (ESRS, 2008–12) and Swiss Neurological Society (SNG, 2008–12). He was one of the founders and first president of the Swiss Federation of Clinical Neurosocieties (SFCNS, 2009–2013). Currently he is a board member of the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMW). Since 2016 he is also Vice-Dean Research of the Medical Faculty-University Bern. Panagiotis BargiotasPanagiotis BargiotasDr Panagiotis Bargiotas is an attending physician at the Department of Neurology and the Sleep-Wake-Epilepsy Center at the University Hospital Bern, Switzerland. He specializes in the interdisciplinary management of patients with sleep-wake disturbances and neurodegenerative disorders. He is currently involved in various clinical trials and preclinical research with main focus on the mechanisms underlying sleep-wake disturbances in patients with Parkinson's disease and especially in the context of deep brain stimulation.

Laboratory animal science course in Switzerland: participants’ points of view and implications for organizers

Switzerland has implemented a mandatory training in laboratory animal science since 1999; however a comprehensive assessment of its effects has never been undertaken so far. The results from the analysis of participants in the Swiss Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations (FELASA) Category B compulsory courses in laboratory animal science run in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016 showed that the participants fully appreciated all elements of the course. The use of live animals during the course was supported and explained by six arguments characterized with cognitive, emotional and forward-looking factors. A large majority considered that the 3R (replacement, reduction and refinement) principles were adequately applied during the course. Responses to an open question offered some ideas for improvements. This overall positive picture, however, revealed divergent answers from different subpopulations in our sample (for example, scientists with more hindsight, scientists trained in biology, or participants from Asian countries).

Cutting export subsidies, cropping domestic production: input-output analysis of the Swiss dairy sector after abolishment of the ‘Chocolate law’ subsidies

The `Chocolate law’ in Switzerland enables subsidies for dairy and wheat farmers, bound to the condition that their products are exported after processing (Swiss Federation, 2011). Though the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization has decided in December 2015 that this law has to be abolished by 2021 [WTO, 2015]. Cutting subsidies might lead to a demand shock and consequently a cropped domestic production (Miller and Blair, 1985). We analysed in this study the interdependence of the agro-food sectors by a Leontief input-output model and their linkages to other sectors (Chereny and Watanabe, 1958, Leontief 1986) and additionally, the amount, direction and dispersion of the possible demand shock. Hence, non-meat food processors and dairy processing were determined as key sectors as they have strong linkage effects and are rather concentrated to few sectors. Both sectors rely strongly on the output of the raw milk producers and have few sectors to sell their products. Outside of the cut sectors, these sectors will be challenged the most from this new policy.

Supplementum 219: 3rd SFCNS Congress, Swiss Federation of Clinical Neuro-Societies. September 28–30, 2016, Bern, Switzerland. Abstracts.

Supplementum 219: 3rd SFCNS Congress, Swiss Federation of Clinical Neuro-Societies. September 28–30, 2016, Bern, Switzerland. Abstracts.