Ist der Souveran wirtschaftsfeindlich?
In: Swiss political science review: SPSR = Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Politikwissenschaft = Revue suisse de science politique, Band 11, Heft 3, S. 184-193
ISSN: 1424-7755
Direct democracy has been blamed for weak economic growth & economic problems in Switzerland by different economists on the premise that direct democracy brings inconsistent & arbitrary policies, slow reactivity, & economically unfriendly redistribution of wealth, although comparative studies in different cantons have indicated that direct democracy has a positive impact on the economy. Few studies however are carried out at the national level, in part due to the unique political structure of Switzerland. Interpretation of Swiss voting behavior over 302 votes from 1970 through 2004 indicates that in only 59 cases did the public vote against the economic recommendations of the associations & the government. Thus the majority of votes required by direct democracy could not be considered economically unfriendly, although this analysis does not address the relative economic significance of specific votes or other political institutional factors. Tables, References. L. Reed