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Copyright of Arbeit is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

During the First World War, warfare became more totalitarian and was backed by an economic conflict waged with increasingly harsh methods. In the combatant nations munitions rapidly became an essential 'raw material', with the increasing demand being met either by the expanding domestic arms industry or by munitions imports from neutral countries. The Swiss watch, metal and engineering industries enjoyed a strong international reputation and had a strong focus on exports: by the end of 1914 they began manufacturing precision detonators for artillery projectiles, and rising quantities of these products were sold to both sides. This paper examines what volume Swiss munitions exports assumed during the First World War, how this was compatible with Swiss neutrality and looks at the arguments used to criticise or justify this trade over the course of the war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The following paper considers Joseph Conrad's standing vis-à-vis the Germans as well as the reception of his works in the German-speaking area. The analysis focuses on the German policies of publication and the nature of germanophone reviews, research interests, and translation practices - accounting for relevant socio- and cultural-historical contexts. The study attempts to demonstrate the exemplary quality featured by the German appropriation of Conrad's canonical short novel Heart of Darkness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the stabilizing effects of Swiss fiscal policy. First, we find that the federation adopted a countercyclical fiscal policy in approximately 60% of all periods observed. During recessions, fiscal policy was always countercyclical and therefore helped to stabilize the economy. In case of the cantons, fiscal policy was countercyclical in 55% of all recessions. In recent years, there has been a trend for both the federation and the cantons toward stronger stabilization. Second, the two stabilizing instruments of fiscal policy, automatic stabilizers and discretionary fiscal policy are compared with each other. Over the last 50 years, automatic stabilizers have been expanded continuously, particularly on the federal level. We find that the impulse of automatic stabilizers is about twice as large as the one of discretionary fiscal policy. Third, macroeconomic effects of Switzerland's fiscal policy during recessions are examined. Automatic stabilizers have been particularly effective in the cantons whereas the effects of discretionary fiscal policy on economic growth have tended to be weaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sociolinguistic variation in Austria and the German-speaking part of Switzerland has traditionally been described in very different terms. In Austria, the linguistic range between the standard language and the local dialects has been referred to as a ‘standard-dialect-continuum’, whereas the German-speaking part of Switzerland has often been cited as the typical example of a ‘diglossic’ language community. The sociolinguistic situation in the Austrian state of Vorarlberg, which is part of a primarily Bavarian-speaking country but also of the Alemannic dialect region, has not been thoroughly examined in any studies up to date. In this paper, we present results from an online-survey in Austria and Switzerland on the everyday use of dialect and the standard language. According to our informants' estimates, the sociolinguistic situation in both Austria and German-speaking Switzerland is characterised by a significant percentage of dialect use. Still, the standard language is regarded quite differently in the two countries. A considerable proportion of the Swiss informants perceive the standard language as a ‘foreign language’. However, this does not seem to be a common attitude among the Austrian informants. The main difference between the two countries lies in the observation that Austrians feel they use an intermediate form between dialect and the standard language, a so-called ‘Umgangssprache’, in many situations, whereas the Swiss indicate that they speak their local dialect or the standard language under specific communicative circumstances. However, the German-speaking Swiss population, as well as the informants from Vorarlberg, do not seem to use an intermediate form. The situation in Vorarlberg is particularly interesting. On the one hand, as far as the status of dialect and the dichotomy of dialect and standard are concerned, Vorarlberg patterns similarly to the German-speaking part of Switzerland. On the other hand, people from Vorarlberg have to adapt to their Bavarian-speaking fellow countrymen and women and switch to standard German in intra-national communication (e.g. at the workplace or on national help lines). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child-care subsidies are meant to facilitate work for mothers with small children. The paper demonstrates that the predominant current income-dependent subsidy scheme in Switzerland (which is currently also discussed in Germany) creates strong negative work incentives especially for well qualified women. The example of the city of Zurich shows that it does not pay off for mothers to work more than one to at most three days per week, as any increase in the hours worked leads to a more than proportional rise in child-care costs. For more than one child, the effective total marginal tax rate, including child-care expenditures, can well exceed 100%. This effect is primarily due to the endogenous pricing of child-care facilities implied by the scheme, and much less to progressive taxation. Pushing these mothers out of the labor market creates a loss in human capital and tax revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper develops a scenario of an interaction between actual governmental active labour market programmes and econometric policy evaluations. It argues that this scenario could and indeed should be implemented. The paper shows also that realities in Switzerland and Germany are very different from this ideal situation. The good news is that both countries appear to move – albeit slowly – towards that vision. It is however apparent that currently Germany is considerably lagging behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fiscal competition is supposed to lead to the collapse of the welfare state because, first, it will become difficult for a single jurisdiction to levy a redistribution tax upon the rich and mobile, and second, such a policy, if undertaken in one jurisdiction, will attract poor individuals from other jurisdictions and erode the internal redistribution policy. In this paper, theoretical and empirical studies concerning the impact of taxes and transfer payments on residence decisions of taxpayers are reviewed. The relationship of fiscal competition and the erosion of the welfare state is illustrated with aggregate data on income redistribution in Switzerland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article consists of news briefs on political science topics, including a prize titled "Worst EU Lobbying Award" which is awarded by the organizations Corporate Europe Observatory, Friends of the Earth Europe, and Lobby-Control, a position paper which was released in December of 2008 by the organization Transparency International concerning transparency in lobbying, and a conference taking place June 23-26, 2009 at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, concerning social movements.

Copyright of Sozialer Sinn is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Bibliothek Forschung und Praxis is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Historische Zeitschrift is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the spring of 1917 the United States entered the First World War. Switzerland and the other neutral European countries came under increasing pressure as the US wanted to embargo their economies. Switzerland had to adapt quickly to the new political order and sent a diplomatic mission to the United States to secure its food and commodity supply. Even though an agreement with the US authorities could be concluded, the policy outcome was strongly influenced by the economic and political agenda of the belligerents. Thus the scope for Swiss foreign policy was limited. The Swiss case shows the increasing influence of the United States and sheds light on the politics of neutrality during the First World War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the history of the extinct western Yiddish language in the Alsace region, southwest Germany, and Switzerland. Information is provided on the interaction between Yiddish and German languages, the existence of High Alemannic structures in Swiss Yiddish and vice versa is described, and analysis of audio recordings of Yiddish is examined. Examples of code switching by speakers of both High Alemannic and western Yiddish are also provided and the role of linguistic minorities in southwest Germany and Switzerland is described.

Copyright of Neue Soziale Bewegungen is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Soziologie is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Sozialer Sinn is the property of De Gruyter and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents information about relations between multilingualism and speakers of both standard language and dialects. Dialect-standard competency is discussed in terms of its presence in German areas of Switzerland. It is described as a form of bilingualism in two related languages or language varieties, often found in children who absorb both the standard language and its regional dialect during their speech-learning process. Results are included from a study seeking to determine whether inhabitants of provincial areas with dialect-standard competency more easily learn foreign languages than speakers of pure standard language or pure dialect.

This article discusses the smallness of subsidiary jurisdictions as a third dimension of centrality, besides vertical centrality and fragmentation (horizontal centrality). A panel analysis concerning all 26 Swiss cantons (from 1990 to 2003) shows that public expenditure per capita increases with the number of inhabitants of a canton. This holds for the aggregate expenditure level and for six expenditure categories of the Government Finance Statistics. The positive elasticity of per capita expenditure with respect to population size can be understood as an indicator for increasing government failure in jurisdictions with bigger population size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First it is clarified what„ trust” and„ tax morale” actually mean and how they are measured. Especially in German-speaking countries, tax morale is often mixed with tax compliance. But the first is a moral conviction while the second denotes actual behaviour, and both do not necessarily need to be congruent. Then it is shown how direct popular rights empower Swiss citizens to influence their tax burden. Finally, we discuss the impact of direct popular rights on tax morale and on tax compliance as well as the impact of the trust between citizens and tax authorities on the latter. It is shown that direct democracy leads to higher tax morale and compliance, even if tax morale is today rather low in Switzerland compared to other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent reforms of the Swiss health care system to introduce regulated competition have raised expectations about the possible combination of more efficient services, while at same time maintaining or even increasing the level of solidarity in health care systems. In this article we examine expected behavioral changes of the market actors, the way incentives for market actors have been changed and analyze the way market actors in fact changed their behavior. We conclude that so far only some of the targets of the reforms have been met. For a reasonable assessment of the Swiss experience in regulating competition in health care it is paramount to distinguish expected effects from actual effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides information about the international and interdisciplinary conference "Semantic Traditions of Love and Differentiation of Intimacy. Divergence and Convergence in Cultural Comparison", held on October 7 and 8, 2011, at Luzern University, Switzerland.

This paper attempts a new departure both in German dialectology and in phonemic analysis: (i) It is based on an open corpus of spontaneous, colloquial speech. (ii) The segmentals (phonemes and clusters) are integrated into the hierarchy of supra-segmentals (syllable types, shape types, intonation contours). (iii) Phonemic variability is recognized within the dialect. Its major isoglosses are restated in terms of phoneme correlations. (iv) Certain unstressed words do occur in isolation. (v) Vowel length is recognized as redundant, but the difference between the dental /t/ and the alveolar /ţ/ is distinctive. (vi) The inventories of stressed and unstressed vowels differ radically, the unstressed suffixes containing the vowels /i e/ only. (vii) The peripheral status is analyzed of the aspirates (other than /kh/), of the affricates /ţs kchi/, and of the lenis /t s eta/, but none of these phonemes is limited to loanwords. (viii) The fusion is analyzed of adjacent stops in initial k- and ţ-clusters.