Switzerland's COVID‐19 policy response: Consociational crisis management and neo‐corporatist reopening

Sager, Fritz; Mavrot, Céline

Switzerland responded to the first COVID‐19 wave fairly successfully by employing both public health and economic measures. During the state of emergency, the federal government made a firm decision to flatten the infection curve and to protect especially at‐risk populations. During the lockdown period, the focus of the political debate shifted from health to the economy as the Federal Council (i.e., the national executive) started to prepare for the country's reopening. While government still had full power due to the emergency situation defined under national epidemic law, the shift in the debate also meant a shift in the way that the government made decisions. Switzerland is a power‐sharing consociational democracy with strong neo‐corporatist features. While the executive untypically relied heavily on health experts within and outside the administration during the lockdown, the reopening strategy shows clear features of Swiss neo‐corporatism, including the resurgence and influence of the traditional big economic vested interests over the government's approach to decision making.