Swiss Abroad

Learnings from Switzerland’s system

This content was published on Nov 19, 2016 At San Sebastian’s historic La Perla seaside restaurant, Switzerland played host to conference attendees with a panel discussion on its system of direct democracy. Participants were Stefan Klauser of the ETH Zurich, Global Forum organizer Bruno Kaufmann, Swiss political scientist and democracy expert Andi Gross, and swissinfo.ch journalist Belen Couceiro. Key quotes from the evening: “Never…

Swiss Politics

Swiss should be ‘better integrated’ in EU info exchange

This content was published on Nov 18, 2016 European justice and interior ministers met Friday to discuss improved information exchange and compatibility in the interest of tightened security.

Swiss Politics

Government of the people, or above the people?

This content was published on Nov 18, 2016 This debate about how democratic movements can work within existing political structures began with an example from Tunisia’s Mehdi Mimoun. It’s a grassroots alliance of date farmers in the southern part of his country who decided to band together as an association and fund themselves, against the wishes of the government. A conflict ensued where…

Swiss Politics

Money, money, money

This content was published on Nov 18, 2016 Getting money out of politics – it’s a oft-heard battle cry, and many direct democracy activists argue that it should be left out of the process as much as possible. But attitudes towards the nuances of that question differ among parts of the world. Paul Jacob of the United States, for example, finds that some…

Deep discussions

This content was published on Nov 17, 2016 This was the question driving the discussion in the Global Forum’s third session: Panelists took the opportunity to delve deep into the human impulses behind democracy and wanting to participate. “People don’t want to replace those in power, this isn’t their major impulse,” said Fernando Pindado of Spain’s Catalunya region (Barcelona). “People are not tired…

Swiss army reputation trampled?

This content was published on Nov 17, 2016 The reportExternal link, by the current affairs programme Rundschau on Swiss public television, SRF, found that many workers in a factory in northern Romania earn less than CHF2 ($2) an hour, or CHF300 per month. Although this is the minimum wage, the programme found it is insufficient to live on. According to Rundschau, the Swiss…

Swiss Politics

Voting on everything: potential pitfalls

This content was published on Nov 17, 2016 While voting on issues like the creation of a pedestrian street has worked for Vienna, there are other things that are a no-go for direct democracy, argues Maria Vassilakou. First of all, there are legal considerations: the Austrian Constitution stipulates that no direct votes may be held on issues of taxes and fees because “no one…

Swiss Politics

On the streets: going to the people

This content was published on Nov 17, 2016 How can cities get all citizens involved in decision-making? Some dos and don’ts, according to Maria Vassilakou of Vienna and Grayce Liu of Los Angeles who have been working on the issue in their cities. Do conduct test phases of proposals – for example, during a highly contested vote over whether to turn Vienna’s main shopping…

Swiss Politics

How to communicate with voters?

This content was published on Nov 17, 2016 From the North American point of view, Michael B. Salerno of San Francisco and Cindy Hanson of Regina, Canada both pointed out the importance of considering how information is being given to citizens participating in referendums and initiatives. Salerno pointed out that information about a recent ballot initiative in California only reached voters about two…

Swiss Politics

Switzerland: the gold standard?

This content was published on Nov 17, 2016 In the first panel discussion about types of democracy and what they can do for societies, Switzerland was referenced by representatives from other parts of the world as a “gold standard” for direct democracy. Adrian Schmid, a former parliamentarian from Lucerne behind more than a dozen initiatives and referendums, says that the key to success…

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Swiss Abroad

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Swiss Abroad

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Learnings from Switzerland’s system

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Swiss should be ‘better integrated’ in EU info exchange

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Government of the people, or above the people?

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Money, money, money

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Deep discussions

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Swiss army reputation trampled?

More

Voting on everything: potential pitfalls

More

On the streets: going to the people

More

How to communicate with voters?

More

Switzerland: the gold standard?

Popular Stories

Most Discussed