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Gregory Fossedal talks “directly” about Switzerland’s democracy The Mac Watson Show Fossedal, author of Direct Democracy in Switzerland, took to the radio waves of Waco, Texas this morning to talk about why he wrote the book, and what America can learn from it. “There are lessons to learn from other countries, and distinctly from Switzerland because of its direct democracy,” stated Fossedal. One of the greatest successes of the direct democracy, he said, has to do with its timing and frequency. “Five to ten times a year, the people of Switzerland vote directly on issues at the federal, state (cantonal), or local (commune) level. Each citizen is then put in a role of ‘mini legislator,’ if you will,” and feels truly a part of his or her own government. Fossedal credits the high rate of newspaper readership, active involvement in education, and other measures of citizen activism as a function of the feeling by voters that they matter. “When you get to legislate on issues,” he noted, “you have a reason to be informed on issues.” He contrasted this deliberative, substantive rhythm of direct democracy with the sporadic, highly personal, winner-take-all culture of representative democracy only. Because the Swiss are so knowledgeable of the issues and play a direct role in making laws and constitutional rules, he said, they voice a “high degree of satisfaction with their system – a feeling that the leaders of the country really listen to them on an ongoing, issue-specific basis,” Fossedal says. Fossedal noted a survey which suggest the Swiss are happy with their leaders, such as the parliament, and believe they are responsive to voter concerns. Asked an open-ended question about their reasons for being proud of Switzerland, he said, 58 percent cite something having to do with the political system of direct democracy. “I doubt there are many, if any, countries where that is true,” he said, “even including highly successful countries, such as the U.S. and Europe.” A purely representative system -- electing representatives in government 2, 4, and 6 years at a time, over many thousands of votes -- is not as efficient as the Swiss citizen promoting changes, Fossedal told Watson. He contrasted the experience Americans enjoy in the economy with their inability to make such finely-grained choices politically. “Technologies, such as the internet, have enabled people to buy exactly the car they want, over hundreds of competitors. We can get a mortgage, shop for different schools, and do thousands of other things online and in the market,” he noted. “Sooner or later, Americans are likely to demand similar issue-specific input from their political system,” he argued. “Part of the reason for my book is to help European and U.S. leaders understand the forces involved, learn not to fear them, and indeed, to guide them in a productive direction towards a more perfect democracy.” Keith Sheets |
