Swiss Federalism, 1848-2010

What is it about?

How the distribution of powers between the federal government and the cantons has changed since the foundation of the modern Swiss federation in 1848. It shows that the federal government has acquired legislative powers in more and more policy areas but the cantons have retained high administrative and fiscal autonomy. The linguistic divide has not played a major role in this process of dynamic centralisation.

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Why is it important?

How federations evolve over time is a crucial aspect of federalism. If centralisation goes too far, the system would eventually cease to be genuinely federal. Conversely, if decentralisation goes too far, it may turn the system into a confederation or even lead to its breaking up.