Watch the Swiss

Who are the Swiss, and what unites them? What is Switzerland's place in the world? What should the Swiss protect themselves from, and which institutions should they preserve? How balance tradition and innovation?
Contributors from around the globe recognize that Switzerland gains much strength from being small, from having a system of direct democracy and federalism, and from a deeply rooted commitment to liberty, together with economic wisdom and reliability.

Nevertheless, the interaction with the European Union is difficult, and the United States has been putting the Swiss system under stress. Some of these conflicts might imperil Switzerland's model altogether, if creative solutions aren't found.

Gerhard Schwarz is the Director of Avenir Suisse, a classical liberal think tank in Zurich. He serves as the President of the Progress Foundation and is a member of the advisory board of the St. Gallen Foundation for International Studies. Having studied economics and business administration, he holds a Ph.D. from the University of St. Gallen. He served many years as head of the economic policy and business pages and later also as deputy editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper «Neue Zürcher Zeitung».

Karen Horn is a scholar in the History of Economic Thought, an independent author and free-lance journalist. She serves as the editor-in-chief of «Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik», an academic journal published by the «Verein für Socialpolitik», the association of German-speaking economists. She is a member of the Mont Pèlerin Society. Born in Geneva, she earned her Ph.D. in economics at the University of Lausanne.