The Future of Switzerland Depends on Culture and Innovation

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The Future of Switzerland Depends on Culture and
Innovation

• Bled, March 7, 2009

Dr. Barbara Haering, ERAB, Board of the ETH
Domain
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Switzerland at first site!
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Switzerland and its diverse cultural identities

• Switzerland speaks several languages, but few are
  multilingual.
• German 64 French 20
• Italian 6.5 Raetoromansch 0.5
• Other languages 9
• Switzerlands last war was an internal conflict
  between roman-catholics and protestants in
  November 1847.
• Roman-Catholics 41 Protestants 40
• Muslim 4 Jews 0.2
• Switzerland looks back on a relatively short
  common history The Swiss Confederation was
  founded only in 1848.

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Identity through cultural achievements

• Switzerlands identity is strongly based on
  cultural achievements
• Cultural diversity
• Federalism
• Direct democracy
• Tradition of political consensus and all-party
  coalitions
• Militia systems not only for the army but for
  politics as well
• Neutrality as a political concept
• Switzerlands identity is supported by major
  public infrastructures and by its most important
  universities
• SBB/CFF/FFS
• Post
• ETH Zürich, EPF Lausanne

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Promoting culture and art in Switzerland

• 1848 National Archives
• 1886/89 Protection of national heritage
• 1890 National Museum
• 1894 National Library
• 1939 Pro Helvetia Culture Foundation
• 1975 Federal Department on Culture
• 1980 Initiative 1 for culture fails in
  referendum
• 1991 Constitutional amendment on culture fails
• 1999 Constitutional amendment passes
• 2009 Federal law on promoting culture

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Political debate of today

• In Switzerland the main responsibility for
  supporting art and cultural activities has always
  been with the cantons and on the local level.
• Only since the year 2000 the Swiss Constitution
  includes a paragraph on cultural. The
  corresponding law is now being debated in
  Parliament
• Only subsidiary responsibilities and competences
  for the Confederation
• Support of the Confederation only for national
  priorities
• Diversity of cultures and languages have to be
  respected
• On the national level most support activities
  will remain delegated to the independent
  foundation Pro Helvetia.

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Lessons learnt Culture and Politics

• The culture of politics is more important for
  Switzerlands identity and future than specific
  policies promoting culture.
• Its not the quantity of cultural offers that
  counts but a specific quality Art should guide
  us in developing new approaches to reality.
• If anything goes art looses its driving
  societal power.
• In a globalizing world public money should
  explicitly be invested in regional traditions and
  in cultural diversity and not only for
  promoting global excellence.

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Lesson learnt Science and Innovation

• Switzerlands future depends on science and
  innovation. Bridging the gap from research to
  market is a cultural issue.

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This is no future for Switzerland!