Rahel Freiburghaus

Höhere #Lohnbeiträge oder #Mehrwertsteuer: darauf beschänkt sich derzeit die finanzpolitische Diskussion in Bundesbern.
Beide belasten überwiegend den #FaktorArbeit.
Das würde die eh schon zunehmende steuerliche Privilegierung des Faktors Kapital (👇) weiter verstärken.

This one may be of interest , cc @indubioproreto.bsky.social bsky.app/profile/rfrb...

Switzerland will vote in June on a far-right proposal to cap the population at 10 mio. If the limit is reached, the govt would be required to withdraw from the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons with the EU.

The broader trend:
An increasing number of 🇨🇭ballots openly challenges intl treaties

THE PRICE OF WAR

"A war of average intensity is associated with an output drop of close to 10% in the war-site economy, while consumer prices rise by approximately 20 percent. The economic ramifications of war are not confined to the war site"

(American Economic Review Vol. 116, No. 3, March 2026)

Welcome to our campus, @unil.bsky.social x EPFL! Glad you like it on our campus, right at Lake Geneva! :)

Americanists & #polisky, what would this chart look like in the US, or your country of specialty?

Fair point!

Thank you. Yes, indeed: The bulk of the Swiss electorate are so called "selective voters", who decide anew at each vote and referendum whether they will participate or not. Permanent abstainers are quite rare www.defacto.expert/2016/02/15/s... @kjephd.bsky.social

Switzerland is also one of the most politically exclusive democracies.

New official data show that only ≈60% of all residents have political rights.

And given Switzerland’s low voter turnout, a small minority (roughly a quarter of all residents who vote regularly) ends up deciding for the majority

Equally striking to many observers is the fact that Switzerland is as far as I know the only democracy in which federal supreme court judges contribute part of their salary to their political party in order to secure nomination for re-election (they must stand for re-election every six years) /3

frequently notice the greatest astonishment about the shortcomings of Swiss democracy precisely in areas that are considered core democratic safeguards elsewhere.

A prime example is the absence of constitutional review in Switzerland, s'thing that often surprises German colleagues in particular /2

That’s indeed a fascinating tension. There is often a trade-off between those who prioritize participation through elections and those who prefer referendums, which allow citizens to express themselves more directly and concretely on specific policy decisions. Personally, I... 1/

Very striking.

I feel like I've been hearing more & more praise for Swiss political institutions lately—the multi-member executive, wide availability of direct democracy, federalism. But the exclusivity of political rights & low turnout give another perspective

All kudos to the Swiss federal authorities. I can highly recommend their annual publication "The Swiss Confederation – a brief guide" to everyone interested in the political system of Switzerland. It is available in English and all four national languages www.bk.admin.ch/bk/en/home/d...

Basel-Stadt is indeed an even more extreme case where a minority decides for the majority, see my earlier post below

bsky.app/profile/rfrb...

that I would qualify as blind spots (including the highly exclusionary character of Swiss democracy and the low turnout highly biased towards certain social identities) are often hardly known

Amazing, thank you so much, Kevin! This is very much appreciated, and incredibly helpful to better situate my book in a what I would call a reoccuring observation: many things about Swiss democracy seem to be assessed much more favorably by international than domestic observers. And many things 1/2

Thanks, Kevin, for highlighting this. If I dare asking, out of curiosity: where do you feel like hearing such positive assessments, and shared by whom? I’ll be submitting a book manuscript on the need for reform of Swiss democracy soon, so this would be very valuable to learn from your perspectivr

Switzerland is also one of the most politically exclusive democracies.

New official data show that only ≈60% of all residents have political rights.

And given Switzerland’s low voter turnout, a small minority (roughly a quarter of all residents who vote regularly) ends up deciding for the majority

Indeed, and what a time to publish such a paper, just days ahead…

THE PRICE OF WAR

"A war of average intensity is associated with an output drop of close to 10% in the war-site economy, while consumer prices rise by approximately 20 percent. The economic ramifications of war are not confined to the war site"

(American Economic Review Vol. 116, No. 3, March 2026)

Herzlichen Dank für die lieben Worte und die Bestärkung! Ein erholsames Wochenende wünsche ich!

Danke für die bestärkenden Worte und all kudos to @clandwehr.bsky.social!

Amazing, Kevin! And heartfelt congratulations! This goes straight onta my syllabus.

I had a wonderful time presenting in Tübingen, so thanks to the organizers for fostering inspiring exchange!

One comment by Prof Benz in particular stays with me: „As political scientists, we should have the courage to never stop conveying that the key strength of federalism lies in its complexity“

Democratic Meta-Deliberation: Towards Reflective Institutional Design - Claudia Landwehr, 2015 Theories of deliberative democracy are popular for their promise that in a deliberative polity, democracy can realise both participatory politics and rational p...

Danke für das Interesse! Da würde ich unbedingt direkt an meine liebe Kollegin Prof. @clandwehr.bsky.social übergeben, die absolut prägend ist! :) journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

«Warum ein Buch zur Demokratiereform in der🇨🇭?», werd ich oft gefragt.

Weil CH-Demokratie blinde Flecken hat. Und es Meta-Deliberation braucht – und man dann weiterentwickeln muss, wenn Leute noch das Gefühl haben, etwas bewirken zu können.

Danke @clandwehr.bsky.social & @freitagmarkus.bsky.social!

Die Jungen stimmen nicht ab – weil sie die Politiker nicht verstehen Kriege und der Zollstreit mit den USA haben bei Jugendlichen das Interesse für Weltpolitik geweckt. Auch Schweizer Politik interessiert – aber abstimmen wollen die wenigsten.

„54% der🇨🇭Jugendlichen geben an, sich für internat. Politik zu interessieren. Das ist der höchste Wert seit Einführung der Befragung 2014. Noch grösser ist das Interesse für Schweizer Politik (55%)“

Besondere Motivation *und* Verantwortung für meine CHPOL-Vorlesung
www.derbund.ch/schweizer-ju...

This is excellent news, my warmest congratulations, dear @brueckmann.bsky.social and @istad.bsky.social ! So happy for you! This is such an important piece, and I have learned so much from it!

Die Jungen stimmen nicht ab – weil sie die Politiker nicht verstehen Kriege und der Zollstreit mit den USA haben bei Jugendlichen das Interesse für Weltpolitik geweckt. Auch Schweizer Politik interessiert – aber abstimmen wollen die wenigsten.

„54% der🇨🇭Jugendlichen geben an, sich für internat. Politik zu interessieren. Das ist der höchste Wert seit Einführung der Befragung 2014. Noch grösser ist das Interesse für Schweizer Politik (55%)“

Besondere Motivation *und* Verantwortung für meine CHPOL-Vorlesung
www.derbund.ch/schweizer-ju...