It can be argued that Switzerland has a peculiar set of political institutions, for example decentralized federalism, active referendum democracy, and La formule magique (grand coalition). This volume focuses upon the political and social outcomes of these institutions in the 1990s.

Introduction: Switzerland - key institutions and behavioural outcomes, Jan-Erik Lane; consensual government in a heterogeneous polity, Ulrich Kloeti; how does direct democracy matter? The impact of referendum votes upon politics and policy-making, Iannis Papadopoulos; the Federal Parliament - the limits of institutional reform, Hanspeter Kriesi; towards the judicialization of Swiss politics?, Christine Rothmayr; institutions and outcomes of federalism - the role of the cantons in Swiss politics, Wolf Linder and Adrian Vatter; Swiss political parties - between persistance and change, Andreas Ladner; institutionalizing the Swiss Welfare State, Klaus Armingeon; the growth of the public sector in Switzerland, Jan-Erik Lane; the political economy of Switzerland - a monetarist success?, Jan-Erik Lane; Switzerland and the European integration process - engagement without marriage, Cedric Dupont and Pascal Sciarini.