Switzerland is one of the smallest, oldest and most complex democratic federal states. Local
political structure is far more important in Switzerland than in the centralized polities of most
modern European countries, given the historically decentralized nature of the Swiss system
(see Hass, J.K. 1999: 1067). “Thus the Swiss municipal organisation has proved to be
extremely stable in comparison to other countries. They strongly vary in size and the majority
are very small. Between 1848 and 1998 the number of municipalities was reduced only from
3204 to 2914 “(see Ladner, A. 1991: 5-6).
In this paper, the focus will be on the local government in Switzerland. But before we come to
this part, we think it is necessary to give an overall view of Switzerland in general and its
political system. Here, we will also introduce the issue of direct democracy in Switzerland, as
we think it is a characteristic political element within the Swiss democracy and also plays an
important role on the communal and local level. Then we will describe the local level in
detail. This will include a short summary about the development of the Swiss communes in
history, the role of the communes given by the Swiss constitution, the structure and
organization of communes and the responsibilities they have. Finally, we will comment our
findings and draw conclusions about the grade of decentralization and what follows from this
for the Swiss democracy.
Table of Contents
- INTRODUCTION
- CHARACTERISTICS OF SWITZERLAND
- THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF SWITZERLAND
- Executive Power
- Legislative Power
- Judicial Power
- Federalism
- Direct democracy
- The Popular Initiative
- Obligatory and Optional Referenda
- Electoral system
- LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN SWITZERLAND
- The development of the communes in Switzerland
- Legal framework for the communes
- Political system of the communes
- The legislative body
- The executive body
- Responsibility of communes
- CONCLUSION
Objectives and Key Themes
This paper provides a detailed analysis of the local government in Switzerland, focusing on its development, structure, and responsibilities. The paper aims to highlight the significance of local political structures in Switzerland, particularly when compared to other European countries. It emphasizes the Swiss system's decentralized nature and its historical stability, emphasizing the importance of direct democracy within the Swiss political system.
- The development and structure of local government in Switzerland
- The role of direct democracy in Swiss local government
- The legal framework and responsibilities of communes
- The historical and comparative aspects of Swiss local government
- The significance of decentralization in the Swiss democracy
Chapter Summaries
The paper begins by introducing Switzerland as a complex democratic federal state with a historically decentralized political structure. The paper highlights the stability of the Swiss municipal organization, which has remained relatively unchanged for over a century. The paper then provides an overview of Switzerland's characteristics, including its geographical location, population demographics, language distribution, and economic structure. The paper further elaborates on the Swiss political system, emphasizing its non-parliamentary, federal nature and its direct democracy system.
The paper delves into the executive power structure, explaining the role of the seven-member Federal Council and its collegial decision-making process. It then explores the Swiss system of federalism and its highly federalised and democratic character. The paper further explains the principles of direct democracy in Switzerland, including the popular initiative and the system of obligatory and optional referenda. Finally, the paper focuses on the electoral system within the Swiss political system.
The next chapter delves into the local government in Switzerland, examining the historical development of the communes, their legal framework, and their political structure. The paper further explores the responsibilities of communes within the Swiss context, highlighting their significance in the overall political system.
Keywords
The paper focuses on the local government in Switzerland, exploring its historical development, legal framework, and political structure. The main keywords and focus topics include: Swiss local government, communes, direct democracy, federalism, decentralized political structure, historical analysis, comparative analysis, legal framework, responsibilities, and the importance of local government in the Swiss democracy.
- Quote paper
- Michael Sell (Author), Meike Gugel (Author), 2003, The Swiss Political System and Local Government, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/18563
