Small state, big companies
Rules for economic globalization and the role of Switzerland
Switzerland is small, rich, and profits greatly from globalization. Consequently, it is under growing international and public pressure from those who wish to make the world economy “fairer” and “more sustainable” by means of transnational rules. Home to many multinational companies, Switzerland is highly exposed to any such regulatory changes. Yet it need not assume a passive role. Indeed, the very process of implementing rules for multinational companies provides valuable scope for action. This factsheet places the issue in a historical and legal context.

Fonte: Gertschen A, Bürgi Bonanomi E (2020). Small state, big companies: Rules for economic globalization and the role of Switzerland.Swiss Academies Factsheet 15 (2
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Temi associati

For decades, countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have remained trapped in poverty despite continuously exporting valuable commodities with which they are richly endowed – including oil, metals, plant proteins, grains, and more. This policy brief outlines one of the key causes of this harmful, unjust phenomenon: trade mispricing. More importantly, it introduces a raft of measures that can be taken to stop revenue losses from trade mispricing – in particular measures that commodity-exporting poor countries can implement unilaterally.
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At the invitation of SECO, the World Trade Institute WTI and the Centre for Development and Environment CDE of the University of Berne, a roundtable on trade, climate change and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was held in Bern on 23 June 2021. Experts representing the academic community, the economy, civil society and the federal administration discussed trade-related measures to reduce green house gases with the objective to contribute to the public debate on this topic in Switzerland. The most important results of this discussion are described in the report. SECO will evaluate the event and, if the results are positive, consider organising other events in a similar format in the future.

Erkenntnisse aus dem Faktenblatt "Kleiner Staat, Grosse Unternehmen" und dem Bericht "Nachhaltiges Unternehmenshandeln in Ländern des globalen Südens" sind in den Wikipedia-Eintrag zu Unternehmensverantwortung eingeflossen.

Was tun kleine und mittelgrosse Unternehmen (KMU) aus der Schweiz, um in Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern nachhaltig zu wirken? Wie könnte der Bund sie in diesen Bemühungen (noch) besser unterstützen? Im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojekt hat das Global Compact Network Switzerland & Liechtenstein (GCNSL) mit fünf KMU sowie VertreterInnen von Bund, Wirtschaft, Zivilgesellschaft und Wissenschaft an einem Stakeholder-Dialog zu diesen Fragen teilgenommen. Antonio Hautle vom GCNSL und Dr. Alex Gertschen von der Universität Bern, einer der Moderatoren des Dialogs, fassen die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse zusammen.

Alex Gertschen vom Center for Global Studies sowie Elisabeth Bürgi Bonanomi und Isabelle Providoli vom Centre for Development and Environmnent (alle Universität Bern) führten 2020 im Auftrag der Kommission für Forschungspartnerschaften mit Entwicklungsländern der Schweizerischen Akademie der Naturwissenschaften zu diesen beiden Fragen einen Stakeholder-Dialog durch. An diesem Dialog nahmen fünf KMU sowie VertreterInnen von Bund, Wirtschaftsnetzwerken, Zivilgesellschaft und Wissenschaft teil. Dieses Dokument fasst einerseits die Aussagen der KMU und der anderen Stakeholder zu Praktiken nachhaltigen Unternehmenshandelns, den grössten Herausforderungen und zentralen Forderungen an den Bund zusammen. Andererseits ordnet es diese Aussagen aus einer wissenschaftlichen Perspektive ein.
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Contatto
Dr. Fabian Käser
SCNAT
Commissione per i partenariati di ricerca con paesi in via di sviluppo (KFPE)
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