Swiss Democracy
Possible Solutions to Conflict in Multicultural Societies
2nd Edition
Published on 5. November 1997
Book
Paperback/Softback
XXI, 210 pages
978-0-333-71562-8 (ISBN)
Description
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.
Reviews / Votes
'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 CanterburyMore details
Edition
Second Edition 1998
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Illustrations
XXI, 210 p.
Dimensions
Height: 21.6 cm
Width: 14 cm
Weight
306 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-333-71562-8 (9780333715628)
DOI
10.1007/978-1-349-26045-4
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Book
01/2021
4th Edition
Palgrave Macmillan
€53.49
Shipment within 7-9 days
Additional editions
Wolf Linder | Linder
Swiss Democracy
Book
12/1998
2nd Edition
St. Martin's Press
€84.35
Article exhausted; check different version
E-Book
02/1998
2nd Edition
Palgrave Macmillan
€52.99
Available for download
Book
11/1997
2nd Edition
Palgrave Macmillan
€64.38
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Previous edition
Book
11/1997
2nd Edition
Palgrave Macmillan
€64.38
Article exhausted; check for reprint
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