Direct Democracy in Switzerland

by Gregory Fossedal

Only one country in the world--Switzerland--is a direct democracy, in which, to an extent, the people pass their own laws, judge the constitutionality of statutes, and even have written, in effect, their own constitution. In this propitious volume, Gregory Fossedal reports on the politics and social fabric of what James Bryce has called "the nation that has taken the democratic idea to its furthest extent." The lessons Fossedal presents, at a time of dissatisfaction with the role of money and privileged elites in many Western democracies, are at once timely and urgent.

Genres: Politics, History

304 pages, Paperback

First published February 12, 2002

Reviews

[Thomas Preusser · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Swiss, whose democratic heritage is one of the oldest in the world, could serve as a model for improving democratic processes in general. The American author, Gregory Fossedal, provides a thorough discussion of Swiss democratic heritage and processes, inclusive of time spent living in Switzerland interviewing numerous Swiss citizens.

By most socio-economic metrics the Swiss are at or near the top of world rankings. The Swiss attribute most of this success to their democracy which is high in citizen involvement. More specifically the Swiss have a "direct democracy" which uses citizen initiatives and referendums to give citizens a direct vote on important issues. Contrast this with hard core representative democracy where decisions by representatives are over influenced and corrupted by money'd special interests. Lobbying in Switzerland is minimal since any decision can be put to vote by all citizens.

Some might say the Swiss benefit because they don't have to deal with the problems of being a diverse society. In fact, the truth is quite the opposite. First of all the Swiss have successfully melded German, French, and Italian cultures and languages. They have also successfully melded ardent religious groups and large blocks of immigrants. This "melding" perhaps begins with a policy of universal military service for men which fosters an attitude of service to society in general (women can also serve in the military in noncombat roles but are not obligated to do so).

The other aspect of Swiss "direct democracy" that stands out is that it is run more by a diverse seven member executive committee (working with a legislature comprised of elected representatives) as opposed to being run by a chief executive such as a president. This is akin to a business having a board of directors representing all "stakeholders". Contrast this with most democracies which have in effect defaulted the board of directors function to money'd lobbyists representing elites. Legislatures comprised of hundreds of representatives seem incapable of providing this board of directors function, even if representatives are parceled out to committees of smaller number.

In the end successful democracies are in a scientific sense complex adaptive systems. The Swiss have a system of government that has successfully proved its adaptability.

[Thomas Ray]

Heaven and Hell

In heaven, the cooks are French, the auto mechanics are German, the cops are British, the lovers are Italian, and everything is run by the Swiss.

In hell, the cooks are British, the auto mechanics are French, the cops are German, the lovers are Swiss, and everything is run by the Italians.

With apologies to all of the above.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing history of how a decentralized democracy took hold in a world of nation states.

[Denise DeRocher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look into a political system whose participation rate far exceeds anything no other country in the world has ever achieved.