HIV/Aids policy in Western Europe entered the phase of normalization since the mid 1990s. There is a stabilisation of the infection rate and the incidence of new Aids cases decreased. In parallel, the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy has altered the course of hiv infections. In the context of normalization, Aids is no longer seen as a major threat. This may not only affect individual risk behaviour, but may also threaten the continuation of policy measures for the prevention of HIV/Aids. However, in the absence of a vaccination against HIV, effective prevention of new infections still remains crucial to counter the epidemic.The objective of this research is to describe and to explain current trends in HIV/Aids prevention policy, as well as to identify the challenges for the consolidation of past achievements in the field of HIV/Aids prevention.More precisely, we will focus on the developments of HIV/Aids prevention policy in Switzerland since the mid 1990s in the following six fields: (a) large scale information campaigning, (b)counselling done in HIV test centres and by NGOs, (c) targeted prevention for sex workers and clients, (d) targeted prevention for men having sex with men, (e) community based prevention for migrants, and (f) clinical treatment for persons living with HIV.
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The designing of Swiss-South African relations during the Apartheid era must be seen within the context of various political, economic and societal changes: Both the international political system, including the role played by the Republic of South Africa, and the political and societal situations in South Africa and Switzerland underwent alterations over time. Such changes resulted in various consequences for the inner dimension of Swiss foreign policy, in particular regarding South Africa. These changes are taken into consideration by the present political science research project, which investigates how Swiss authorities’ official positions on the Apartheid regime came about, and compares them across time. The study is limited to the inner dimension in that it concentrates on Swiss governmental and non-governmental actors. The international dimension is taken into account as a potential influencing factor. The research project intends to address the following questions: 1) What was the Swiss federal government’s policy regarding South Africa from 1977 to 1994? What phases can be identified within this time span? 2) What characterizes the policy formulation processes during these individual phases? 3) Which similarities and differences can be found between different phases and what explains them? 4) Which similarities and differences can be detected when comparing Switzerland’s South Africa policy with its policies concerning two selected cases? What accounts for them? The study covers a time span beginning with the 1977 World Conference of the United Nations for Action against Apartheid and ending with the overcoming of Apartheid and the first free democratic elections in South Africa in 1994.
In the past, Aids policy in Switzerland has been characterised by a close collaboration between public and private organisations, both at the federal and local level. This project investigates the impacts of the implementation of the Federal Aids-Programme (1999-2003) by the Federal Office of Public Health on the major players in the field of Aids policy. Its aim is, ultimately, to establish which type of normalisation-scenario the Federal Programme is likely to promote in the Aids field. The theoretical concept of this project is built around the Advocacy Coalition Framework, where supplementary hypotheses were introduced in order to provide for a perspective of policy evaluation. This research project is part of the Global Evaluation of the Aids Prevention Strategy in Switzerland, coordinated by the Institut universitaire de médecine sociale et préventive of the University of Lausanne.
For decades Switzerland has discussed far-reaching and fundamental reforms of its basic political institutions, while all the substantive proposals have failed, i.e. fiscal equalization, and constitutional and major governmental reform. There have been, in the 1990s, partial reforms, particularly in the cantons. This "reform movement" - under the heading of New Public Management (NPM) - was mainly led by political and administrative practitioners. After ten years of pragmatic reform, it is time to assess the causes and consequences of these reforms. The project conceives of the ongoing reforms as part of a process of transition from the interventionist, welfare state to the negotiating, enabling state, a pattern of development which has been diagnosed by systems theory, as well as by policy sciences. From this perspective, the project aims at comparing the reform endeavours of the Swiss cantons by asking four questions: · What combination of parliamentary, governmental and administrative reforms are pursued by the Swiss cantons? · What factors best explain the concrete shape of these reform projects? · What consequences do the reforms have for the democratic process? · How do the reform projects compare to reforms in other federalist countries? To answer these questions, the project will establish an inventory of all the reforms in the cantonal parliaments, governments and administrations; analyse the causes and preconditions of the cantonal reforms; study in detail the preparation, the implementation and the democratic consequences in four case studies of cantonal reform; and finally, compare the findings with reforms in other federalist systems (Germany, Austria, Australia). The project will make a major contribution to the knowledge base of the Swiss political system, in particular, with respect to its potentials for institutional change, which is one of the important preconditions for a successful adaptation to emerging global challenges.
This pre-study, commissioned by the Swiss Federal Chancellery, deals with the current practice of evaluation in, of and for the federal administration. The research asked how, for what goals and how successful federal policies are evaluated. The aim was a) to give advice for future evaluations, and b) to assess whether a detailed study of federal evaluation activities should be envisaged. The study consists of four parts: (1) an evaluation studies survey of two federal offices (2) a meta-evaluation evaluating three evaluation studies (3) an inquiry about the evaluation practice of eight federal offices (4) and of the federal control agencies. The main findings, based on these empirical investigations are: Evaluation in the federal administration is characterized by diversity. Both, definitions of evaluation (function, quality etc) and practice of evaluation (size, procedures, resources etc.) vary greatly. Decisions to evaluate are mostly taken without systematic foundations. Planning the evaluation activities is scarce. Evaluation unities in the federal administration are relatively often re-organized, indicating that this relatively new task has not yet found its ‘ideal’ form. Compared to past investigations on the topic evaluation has made progress towards professionalisation. Yet, certain qualities still lack. Evaluation results are only partially integrated into relevant decisional procedures. Questions regarding evaluation are often perceived as issues of power-relations, therefore hindering adequate organization of procedures.
Since 1991, the Swiss federal government promotes the so-called four-pillar-model to reduce drug related problems. This entails measures of primary prevention, of therapy and social reintegration, of harm reduction for those who are unable or not willing to quit drug use, as well as police repression of drug trade and trafficking. The federal programme was decided in 1991, renewed and updated in 1998 ('Massnahmepaket Drogen' MaPaDro 1 and MaPaDro 2), and contains a precise list of measures promoted by the federal government in order to reduce drug related problems in Switzerland. The implementation of these measures is left to cantons and communes. In the end of the 1980s and in the beginning of the 1990s, drug policy in Switzerland was heavily polarised by ideological conflicts. These conflicts have decreased in recent years – especially in the aftermath of the close-down of the open drug scenes. However, several elements of the federal programme continue to be contested and implementation is sometimes hindered by political conflicts. The objectives of this research project are threefold: First, it aims at gauging the political acceptance of the federal measures at the federal, cantonal and communal level. In order to do this, an inventory will be created including information on all political statements and decisions on drug policy, made in a period ranging from 1991 to 2000 in the 26 Swiss cantons, as well as in two dozen Swiss cities. Second, the factors that condition this acceptance will be investigated, and the means with which the Federal Office of Public Health has tried to improve these conditions will be evaluated. Third, it analyses the dynamics of policy implementation networks for selected measures of the federal programme.
Acceptance in policy making is not only a question of referenda. Equally important are the sequences of events and the parties involved during the phase of formulating transport policies. Here, in the long run, a general consent and the learning ability of various institutions play a major role in a sustainable transport policy. The project focuses on these issues related to the political process: What are the differences in the political processes in relation to transport in Switzerland, in Germany, and in the Netherlands? How can the willingness of important decision-makers to reach agreement be increased? How can acceptance during the decision-making and implementation phase be increased? (e.g. via management of policy networks)? The projects focuses on comparisons between countries, and is based on interviews with experts. These interviews are supplemented with the analysis of primary documents and secondary literature. In comparison with Germany and the Netherlands, direct democracy has proved successful for Swiss transport policies. On the other hand, Switzerland should also look more closely at new co-operation models such as agreements with private actors. These are the conclusions from this acceptance study analysing the procedures and players during all the phases of a political process. The study emphasises that – besides the three pillars of economic, ecological and social sustainability – care needs to be taken with the quality of the political proces in order to secure acceptance. The quality of the process, that is, discussion, negotiation and mediation styles, is key to our understanding of sustainability. A first step in this direction would be to establish an open ‘Sustainable Mobility Forum'.
VEPOS aims at enhancing the policy oriented competences of federal administrators. On the basis of three case-studies of policy making in Switzerland the Institute of Political Science has developed the concept for a 3-day seminar in which top- and middle-level employees of the federal administration are trained in various aspects of crisis-management. The seminar is held every year in autumn.
Since 1977 VOX is a regularly follow-up survey of 1500 Swiss citizens (700 until 1987, 1000 until 2009); sampled in a multistage procedure combining stratified random and quota sampling. The telephone interviews are carried out by a commercial company (gfs.bern), the Departments of Political Science of the Universities at Bern, Geneva and Zurich are responsible for questionnaire designs, analysis and reporting of results. Realized after each national ballot about referenda and initiatives it concerns most aspects of political life in Switzerland and tries to analyze, who voted, how and why. From a theoretical point of view, the survey mainly follows the sociological and psychological approach of election studies, but short-term influences of issues, media, campaigning and arguments are treated as well.