The impact of European integration on institutional change in Switzerland

Abstract

Europe comprises a large number of large and small countries with varying internal rules and norms, and the differences are still remarkable.1 The literature on varieties of capitalism, for example, highlights common features for some of the European countries during specific periods of time, and even within the European Union not convergence, but instead uneasy rivalry, seems to have prevailed.2 Swiss firms had to take into account different national rules if they wanted to successfully do business with and in these countries. Furthermore, the cultural diversity and the federal structure of Switzerland led to the evolution of a variety of rules within the country itself. Firms were thus used to coping with different legal and cultural systems both at home and abroad.