Stories - Switzerland

PODCAST: The evolution of women's political power in Switzerland

That's a wrap - Looking back on the first Online Forum on Modern Direct Democracy

From 21-29 September of this year, the world's largest gathering of direct democracy activists and experts...

How the postponed referendum in Switzerland impacts citizens' initiatives

While timely and necessary, the measures to halt the spread of COVID-19 have had an enormous impact not only...

What drives citizen participation?

For seven years, Dr Klaus Hofmann has been researching legal instruments of direct democracy worldwide for...

Swiss and US democracy: Twins Separated At Birth?

No other countries in the world have such strong direct democratic people´s rights as the United States and...

Popular Votes On Strengthening Modern Direct Democracy In Ticino And Geneva

More than 100 million people across the world were called to the ballot stations on the last weekend of...

Direct Democracy Instead of Civil War

A conflict full of explosives: religion, language and a social divide. Yet, for once, bloodshed could be...

Towards Universal Participatory Budgeting

"Participatory budgeting" where everyone can have a say on how public money is used - has become all the rage...

“Money plays a growing role in Swiss democracy”

In a conversational democracy like the Swiss one citizens’ association must work very hard to have the...

Why populists should avoid direct democracy

A coalition of rightwing populist parties in the European Parliament is very clear about what they believe in...