@rfrbrghs.bsky.social
Assistant Professor @unil.bsky.social, Switzerland │ Swiss & Comparative Politics, Democracy, Political Institutions, Federalism, (Intergovernmental) Lobbying │ Also @leewas.bsky.social @chplusplus.bsky.social │Views my own
Fair point!
03.03.2026 07:13 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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
03.03.2026 05:46 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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
02.03.2026 17:15 — 👍 3 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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/
02.03.2026 17:11 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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...
02.03.2026 11:11 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
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
02.03.2026 05:54 — 👍 6 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Amazing, 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
02.03.2026 05:53 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Thanks, 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
01.03.2026 21:22 — 👍 4 🔁 0 💬 2 📌 0
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…
01.03.2026 09:49 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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)
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!
28.02.2026 08:36 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0Danke für die bestärkenden Worte und all kudos to @clandwehr.bsky.social!
28.02.2026 07:46 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Amazing, Kevin! And heartfelt congratulations! This goes straight onta my syllabus.
27.02.2026 18:50 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
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“
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...
27.02.2026 16:38 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
«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!
„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!
26.02.2026 13:17 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
„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...
In Switzerland, not only 50k citizens can challenge a parliamentary decision by launching a referendum. 8 cantons can, too.
A cantonal referendum has happened only twice so far. If the individual taxation reform were rejected, it would mark the 2nd use of this instrument, and the cantons‘ 2nd win
Als Kontext – die Verschiebungen bei der #Individualbesteuerung im Detail: bsky.app/profile/leew...
25.02.2026 06:22 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0
Swiss voters will decide on cutting the radio & TV licence fee — a move that could significantly weaken public broadcasting.
Once popular (even within the mainstream right), the proposal now, for the 1st time, is supported by only a minority of Swiss voters, according to @leewas.bsky.social‘s polls
Proud moment for @unil.bsky.social to welcome the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset.
He shared that he hadn’t fully grasped the magnitude of the 2008 financial crisis at the time. What followed was a succession of crises, unfolding with continuous acceleration
Soon, voters in Switzerland will decide on a far-right pop initiative to cut funding for the public broadcaster.
The messaging is split. In the French-speaking area, the far-right stresses cost savings&financial relief, avoiding ideology. In the Swiss German part, it’s „slashing left-leaning media“