Swiss Party System, Political Processes and Interaction with Society Presentation held by Claude Longchamp Referent: Claude Longchamp, Political Scientist, Head of the Research Institute gfs.bern, Lecturer at the Universities of St. Gallen, Zurich and Berne gfs.bern, may 22, 2013 1
About Me born March 14, 1957 in Fribourg, grew up bilingual. went to school in Aargau, studied at Universities of Zurich and Berne, graduated in History and Sociology. assistant and lecturer at the (former) center of research for Swiss politics at the University of Berne; research mandate of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) for a project about the political culture of Switzerland through the ages. since 1986 project director at the former GfS research institute; 1993 founder of gfs.bern, since 2004 part of the supervisor board, since 2009 head of supervisor board and head of the institute as well as part of the supervisor board of the GfS survey center. since 1991 analyst of elections and votes for the swiss public broadcasting organization (SRG SSR). since 2011 president of the Swiss Practical Social Research Association (Schweizerische Gesellschaft für praktische Sozialforschung, GfS). numerous teaching assignments at the University of St. Gallen, Zurich und Berne, Lecturer at the Universities of Applied Science in Winterthur and Lucerne in the domains of electoral research, political communication, lobbying and methods of empiric political research. 2
Structure of Society and Elite Behavior in Democracies structure of society homogenous elite behavior coalescent depoliticized democracy plural consociational democracy adversarial centripetal democracy centrifugal democracy 3
Historical Cleavages in Switzerland language regions four languages (German, French, Italian, Rhaeto-Romanic, since the 6th century) religions / confessions two forms of Christianity (catholic vs. protestant, since the 16th century) 4
Analysis of Democracies How big is the influence of a political party that wins the parliamentary elections? Two responses: It depends on the relation between the parliament and the government. It depends on the relation between the central state and the federal entities. 5
A short Typology of Democracies Democracy Model Executive Parties Centralist Sweden Great Britain Federalist Switzerland USA 6
Institutions of the Democracy Patterns Majoritarian Patterns concentration of executive power in single-party majority cabinets the executive is dominant over the legislative two-party system or close to it majoritarian and disproportional electoral systems Consensus Patterns executive power-sharing in broad multiparty coalitions formal and informal balance of power between the executive and the legislative multiparty system proportional representation and electoral systems pluralist interest groups systems with free for all competition among groups unitary and centralized government concentration of legislative power in a unicameral legislature flexible constitutions that can be amended by simple majorities legislatures have the final word on the constitutionality of their own legislation central banks that are dependent on the executive coordinated and corporatist interest group systems aimed at compromise and concertation federal and decentralized government division of legislative power between two equally strong but differently constituted houses rigid constitutions that can be changed only by extraordinary majorities laws are subject to a judicial review of their constitutionality by supreme or constitutional court independent central banks Source: Lijphart, Arend. 1999. Patterns of Democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press. 7
Consequences necessity of concordance due to the institutional arrangements institutions are building parties, not the other way round but: Parties are not unchangeable, they are developing 8
Contemporary Cleavages in the Swiss Party System 1850-1920 catholic / protestant: Cleavage between parts of the country according to peoples confession modernity / tradition: Cleavage between liberal and conservative parties left / right: Cleavage between worker parties and parties of the middle class 1980 until today materialist / post materialist: Split-off of ecological parties globalization: Cleavage between internationally and nationally (marked) oriented parties participation in government: Cleavage between fundamentalist and pragmatic parties 9
Effect on the Swiss Party System 1983 SP CVP FDP SVP 10
Effect on the Swiss Party System 1984-1992 SP CVP FDP GPS SVP 11
Effect on the Swiss Party System 1993-2007 SVP SP CVP FDP GPS SVP 12
Effect on the Swiss Party System 2007 up to now SVP SP CVP FDP GPS GLP BDP 13
Consequences high stability of the national government (FDP - liberal party - since 165 years in the government, oldest governing party on earth) new conflicts, especially about European Integration, cause new polarization, which currently diminishes the stability of the government 14
Political Processes: Institutional Perspective Separation of Powers Parliament (Legislature passes laws) Government (Executive - executes laws) Courts (Judiciary - resolution of disputes about laws) Newspapers / mass media ( 4th power ) 15
Political Processes: Functional Perspective Implementation Initiation Decision Preparation 16
Political Processes: Functional Perspective Implementation administration interest groups Initiation parties mass media foreign countries Decision parliament parties electorate mass media Preparation government interest groups 17
Current Decision Modes type mode requirements examples consensus all parties support a project minor conflict, superior interests education compromise all parties approve a project solutions are negotiable, pragmatic actors, a lot of time infrastructure competition different alliances compete with their projects scope of action, solutions are negotiable to a limited extent, polarized actors, lack of time social insurance dominance a majority alliance enforces its project solutions are not negotiable, minor scope of action financial politics european politics 18
Federalism bottom-up buildup of the state (subsidiarity) shared taxes Level Parliament Government communities (local entities) assembly of citizens militia governments special: cities militia parliaments professional governments cantons (states) militia parliaments professional governments federal level half professional parliament professional governments 19
Direct Democracy Parliamentary Democracy = decisions by elections Direct Democracy = decisions by votes Citizens can not only elect their representatives (every fourth year), they can directly decide over factual issues (participative democracy, as much ballots as nowhere else in the world). two Swiss direct democratic instruments Initiative: Constitution can be changed through a majority of voters and the cantons (states), the opposition has an approximately 1:5 chance to win, limited preventative impact Referenda: Contested decisions of the parliament need the approval of a majority of voters, the opposition has an approximately 1:2 chance to win, preventative impact Legitimation through collection of signatures. Minor requirements are resulting in a lot of votes about factual issues. 20
Media System differentiated, pluralistic, not state-owned / -run media system private status of newspapers (formerly close to parties, nowadays customer oriented) broadcasting (TV and radio) for all four language regions regulated by public law private local radio stations, private local TV stations new social media via internet 21
What can be learned of Switzerland? power sharing vs. concentration of power pronounced idea of self administration (confederation) complicated societal background made integration trough the state necessary federalist buildup of the state enables solutions adjusted to the society majoritarian democracy (under the leadership of Liberals) during the era of state buildup militia system and direct democracy enable far going mobilization of resources multiparty system prevents the concentration of power pluralistic media system enables democratic examination political stability went along with economic success, which deepened the identification of the people with the political entities 22
23 Discussion
Good bye and thank you for your attention! www.gfsbern.ch Claude Longchamp gfs.bern Head of the Research Institute gfs.bern, Lecturer at the Universities of St. Gallen, Zurich and Berne claude.longchamp@gfsbern.ch 24