Switzerland's Political Integration

This lecture explores Switzerland as a multicultural society with diverse regions in terms of religion, language, and urbanization, examining the peaceful cohabitation and national integration facilitated by the absence of overlap between religious and linguistic cleavages. It delves into the political institutions such as federalism, proportional representation, and direct democracy that have favored power-sharing and political integration in Switzerland. The lecture also discusses the Swiss Sonderfall, the complex political institutions, the levels of Swiss democracy, and the repartition of competences between federal, cantonal, and communal levels, emphasizing the principle of territoriality. Additionally, it covers the citizenship structure and the roles of communes and cantons in the Swiss federal system.