Multilingual Democracy

Two main insights will have been gained after reading this book, one each for activists and academics. First, it is not always necessary for a democracy to become multinational so as to remain multicultural. Instead, given the right mix of political institutions, even deep cultural differences can be reconciled with an overarching sense of togetherness and ensuing stability. Second, although often cited as a prime example of a successful consociation, Switzerland in fact owes much of its political success to centripetal institutions.... At the end of the day, while 11 chapters might seem a lot and a few have already been published in one form or the other over the span of 15 years, the voyage through all of them is a light, eventful and pleasant one. -- 'Swiss Political Science Review'

Where lies the secret of the success of Switzerland's multilingual democracy? Not in the way in which it applies the consociational model, but in the way in which it deviates from it. In this illuminating book, Nenad Stojanovic uses his thorough knowledge of the fine grain of Swiss institutions, his sharp understanding of the mechanisms at work and his first-hand acquaintance with similar challenges elsewhere in order to establish this unorthodox claim -- and in order to draw lessons that can be of great value in many other places in Europe and in the world. -- Philippe Van Parijs, University of Louvain

Nenad Stojanovic is among the most perceptive scholars writing on the politics of multiethnic and multilingual societies. In this book, he argues convincingly that the conventional academic wisdom about Switzerland is profoundly in need of revision. Stojanovic shows that Switzerland's polity and its peace are built on institutions that encourage the building of cross-cultural majorities, rather than on group guarantees--and he provides the evidence for this singularly important conclusion by diving deeply into the actual workings of the Swiss political system -- Donald L. Horowitz, Duke University

The strength of Stojanović’s work lies in his clarity that desired outcomes – eg protection of minorities, power sharing in divided places – can be achieved by a range of mechanisms across different constituencies. It follows that consociational institutions of government – in Belgium or in Northern Ireland – may be irreplaceable, but this does not mean that consociational principles (group rights) should dominate all politics… I find intriguing Stojanović’s defence of the referendum as a democratic tool and potentially protective of minorities, particularly when the issues are introduced from the bottom up... Such an additive approach appears relevant to the EU, perhaps Belgium, and if not to presently divided Northern Ireland, perhaps to a possible future united Ireland. -- Jennifer Todd, University College Dublin

Nenad Stojanovic is a Swiss National Science Foundation Professor of Political Science at the University of Geneva.