Swiss Public Administration Making the State Work Successfully

Swiss citizens approve of their government and the way democracy is practiced; they trust the authorities and are satisfied with the range of services Swiss governments provide. This is quite unusual when compared to other countries. This open access book provides insight into the organization and the functioning of the Swiss state. It claims that, beyond politics, institutions and public administration, there are other factors which make a country successful. The authors argue that Switzerland is an interesting case, from a theoretical, scientific and a more practice-oriented perspective. While confronted with the same challenges as other countries, Switzerland offers different solutions, some of which work astonishingly well.

Introduction

Society, Government, and the Political System Andreas Ladner

The Organization and Provision of Public Services Andreas Ladner

The Characteristics of Public Administration in Switzerland Andreas Ladner

The concept of Law and the principe of legality Sophie Weerts

The preparliamentary phase in law-drafting : the power issues at stake Christine Guy-Ecabert

The Federal Administration as an actor in the domestic integration of international law Sophie Weerts / Amalia Sophia

Soft Law Instruments in Public Law Alexandre Flückiger

Judicial federalism and constitutional review in the Swiss Judiciary Pascal Mahon

The new model of Swiss public management Jean-Loup Chappelet

In-depth modernization of HRM in the public sector: the Swiss way Yves Emery

Communication and Transparency Martial Pasquier

The Road to Digital and Smart Government in Switzerland Tobias Mettler

Financial management system, legislation and stakeholders Nils Soguel

The Swiss way of presenting the governments’ financial statements Nils Soguel

Tax power and tax competition Nils Soguel

Fiscal Equalization: Financial transfers between governments Nils Soguel

Social security policy Giuliano Bonoli

Health Policy Josef Philipp Trein

Policy Networks and the Role(s) of Public Administrations Frédéric Varone / Karin Miryam Ingold/ Manuel Fischer

Factors contributing to the strong institutionalization of policy evaluation in Switzerland Katia Horber-Papazian / Marion Baud-Lavigne

Andreas Ladner is Professor for Political Institutions and Public Administration at the Institut de Hautes Études en Administration Publique (IDHEAP) at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His research interests include the quality of democracy, political institutions and public administration, local government, political parties and voting advice applications.

Nils Soguel is Professor of Public Finance at the Institut de Hautes Études en Administration Publique at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His research interests include public sector financial management, fiscal policy, fiscal federalism and the evaluation of non-market goods and services.

Yves Emery is Professor for Public Management and Human Resource at the Institut de Hautes Études en Administration Publique at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His areas of research include HRM strategies, work identities, motivation and competencies of civil servants and public managers.

Sophie Weerts is Associate Professor of Public Law at the Institut de Hautes Études en Administration Publique at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. Her research interests are in constitutional and administrative law. They focus on the structural sources and transformation of public law and the separation of powers. She also works on human rights, language policies and gender policy.

Stéphane Nahrath is Professor of Public Policy at the Institut de Hautes Études en Administration Publique at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His areas of research include comparative public policy, sustainable resource management and circular economy.