The Good Society. A Comparative Study of Denmark and Switzerland

Christoffersen, Henrik; Beyeler, Michelle; Eichenberger, Reiner; Nannestad, Peter; Paldam, Martin (2014). The Good Society. A Comparative Study of Denmark and Switzerland Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag 10.1007/978-3-642-37238-4

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Denmark and Switzerland are small and successful countries with exceptionally content populations. However, they have very different political institutions and economic models. They have followed the general tendency in the West toward economic convergence, but both countries have managed to stay on top. They both have a strong liberal tradition, but otherwise their economic strategies are a welfare state model for Denmark and a safe haven model for Switzerland. The Danish welfare state is tax-based, while the expenditures for social welfare are insurance-based in Switzerland. The political institutions are a multiparty unicameral system in Denmark, and a permanent coalition system with many referenda and strong local government in Switzerland. Both approaches have managed to ensure smoothly working political power-sharing and economic systems that allocate resources in a fairly efficient way. To date, they have also managed to adapt the economies to changes in the external environment with a combination of stability and flexibility.

Item Type:	Book (Monograph)
Division/Institute:	School of Social Work > Social Security focus area School of Social Work School of Social Work > Institute for Social Security and Social Policy
Name:	Christoffersen, Henrik; Beyeler, Michelle0000-0001-9988-9265; Eichenberger, Reiner; Nannestad, Peter and Paldam, Martin
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions H Social Sciences > HG Finance H Social Sciences > HN Social history and conditions. Social problems. Social reform J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe)
ISBN:	978-3-642-37237-7
Publisher:	Springer-Verlag
Language:	English
Submitter:	Michelle Beyeler
Date Deposited:	23 Mar 2020 13:29
Last Modified:	18 Dec 2020 13:29
Publisher DOI:	10.1007/978-3-642-37238-4
URI:	https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/10054