Swiss Democracy
Possible Solutions to Conflict in Multicultural Societies
2nd Edition
Published on 5. November 1997
Book
Hardback
232 pages
978-0-333-71514-7 (ISBN)
Description
'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;'Given the furore about a referendum on Maastricht, Wolf Linder's book is a very timely one. He shows that referenda can have political affects way beyond those imagined by Bill Cash and Margaret Thatcher. So while Switzerland is not a model it encapsulates an alternative view of democracy about which we would do well to think' - Clive C.Church, Professor of European Studies, University of Kent at Canterbury;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 an
Combining the essence of many empirical studies with own observations, and giving illustrative examples, the author thoroughly an
More details
Edition
2nd Revised edition
Language
English
Place of publication
Basingstoke
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Edition type
Revised edition
Illustrations
tables, figures, bibliography, index
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 138 mm
Weight
366 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-333-71514-7 (9780333715147)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
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New editions
Book
11/1997
2nd Edition
Palgrave Macmillan
€53.49
Shipment within 15-20 days
Additional editions
E-Book
02/1998
2nd Edition
Palgrave Macmillan
€52.99
Available for download
Book
11/1997
2nd Edition
Palgrave Macmillan
€53.49
Shipment within 15-20 days
Content
List of Tables - List of Figures - Information Boxes - Foreword - Introduction - PART 1: BUILDING A MULTICULTURAL SOCIETY BY POLITICAL INTEGRATION - Introduction - The Origins of Modern Switzerland - Turning Poor Odds to Good, or: Factors which Made Swiss Nation-Building a Success - Religious and Ethnic Minorities: From Coexistence to Pluralism - The Challenges of Socioeconomic Inequality - Proportional Representation: A Universal Key to Power Sharing - Limits of Swiss Pluralism: New Challenges for Integration - Conclusion - PART 2: FEDERALISM - Institutions - Federalist Elements in the Decision-Making Process - Federalism at Work - The Limits of Swiss Federalism -Challenges - PART 3: DIRECT DEMOCRACY AND POWER SHARING - Introduction: The Vote on 'Switzerland Without Army' - Institutions and the Historical Meaning of Direct Democracy - Participation in Direct Democracy - A Closer Look at the Referendum and the Initiative - Understanding the People's Vote - Power Sharing by Direct Democracy, or: How the Referendum has Changed the Political System - Conclusions - PART 4: COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVES - On Direct Democracy -On Federalism - On Power Sharing and Consociational Democracy - Epilogue: Switzerland's Future After the Popular Vote on the European Economic Area - Selected Bibliography - Index