Federalism: The case of Switzerland

Together with the United States and Canada, Switzerland is one of the three classical federations. Its institutional structure consists of three levels of government: the federation, 26 cantons and about 2500 communes. The cantons as well as the communes are characterised by a full political organisation with the separation of powers, by a constitutionally guaranteed political autonomy and by their right to impose taxes for their responsibilities. Historically speaking, the Swiss federation can be considered as a case of „non centralisation“: When founding the federation in 1848, the cantons kept their statehood, their constitutions and most of their political autonomy. Today, the central government is controlling only about 30 percent of the over all public budget; thus the Swiss federation has remained one of the most decentralised countries.