Suchergebnisse

The Swiss cantons dispose of a strong autonomy with manifold competences. In an international perspective, Swiss federalism can be called a 'decentralized' federalism. This means that changes in the direction of centralization require justification, whereas in the 'unitary' federalism of Germany, it is decentralization and competition which need to be justified (Braun 2003). However, during the last couple of decades, one could observe a certain tendency towards more coordination between the cantons and more centralization. The federal level plays a proactive role, which is backed by the citizens. This may be a consequence of enhanced competition between the European regions, economies of scale and scope which can be better used in a larger perimeter, and the expectations of citizens that cantons should provide a more comparable level of service provision. The small scale of the Swiss cantons is considered to be an obstacle. Amalgamations might appear to be a way of resolving these problems, but the Swiss cantons and the Confederation have chosen a more pragmatic way of coordination, in favour of keeping the responsiveness and proximity of the present small cantons towards their citizens and keeping the tax competition.

This article, which is based on a written survey of all organizational unit managers of the Swiss Federal Government, shows the structure and steering of all organizations on the federal level and the factors that influence autonomy. The survey indicates that the formal guidelines on autonomy, as modeled by legal form and organizational type, as well as the organization of leadership structures (e.g., appointment of a supervisory body), are congruent with actual autonomy. This finding is not surprising in a country having a clear tradition as a constitutional state (Rechtsstaatstradition), nevertheless in international comparison where the granting of autonomy is more strongly shaped by governmental preferences, it is not self-evident.

This article, which is based on a written survey of all organizational unit managers of the Swiss Federal Government, shows the structure and steering of all organizations on the federal level and the factors that influence autonomy. The survey indicates that the formal guidelines on autonomy, as modeled by legal form and organizational type, as well as the organization of leadership structures (e.g., appointment of a supervisory body), are congruent with actual autonomy. This finding is not surprising in a country having a clear tradition as a constitutional state (Rechtsstaatstradition), nevertheless in international comparison where the granting of autonomy is more strongly shaped by governmental preferences, it is not self-evident.

Switzerland is currently going through a phase of political restructuring. The numerous reform activities at the beginning of the twenty‐first century leave almost no area of political life untouched. The reforms are particularly abundant in the 2′867 municipalities, spanning from amalgamations, intermunicipal co‐operation, New Public Management, to reforms of the political systems. Accounting for the fact that there are big socio‐economic differences between the municipalities as well as their political systems, we investigate whether the municipalities are headed for divergence or convergence as a result of these reforms. The empirical results are derived from three surveys of the local authorities conducted in 1988, 1994, and 1998. The results indicate that the communes do convergence in regard to their administrative and political structure. However, the convergence appears to be limited to the single cantons and observable only among certain types of municipalities.

Switzerland is currently going through a phase of political restructuring. The numerous reform activities at the beginning of the 21st century leave almost no area of political life untouched. The reforms are particularly abundant in the 2,867 municipalities, spanning from amalgamations, intermunicipal cooperation, New Public Management, to reforms of the political systems. Accounting for the fact that there are big socioeconomic differences between the municipalities as well as their political systems, we investigate whether the municipalities are headed for divergence or convergence as a result of these reforms. The empirical results are derived from three surveys of the local authorities conducted in 1988, 1994, & 1998. The results indicate that the communes evidence convergence in regard to their administrative & political structure. However, the convergence appears to be limited to the single cantons & observable only among certain types of municipalities. 6 Tables, 4 Graphs, 23 References. Adapted from the source document.

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