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‘Tamed Tieboutianism’ and Spatial Inequalities in Swiss Metropolitan Areas

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Inequality and Governance in the Metropolis

Part of the book series: Comparative Territorial Politics ((COMPTPOL))

Abstract

This chapter explores place equality regimes in the major Swiss metropolitan areas. Switzerland is an affluent and decentralized federation with a conservative welfare state. The response to territorial inequalities has consisted mainly in setting up comprehensive mechanisms of subnational fiscal equalization. Overall, the prevailing regime of place equality can be characterized as ‘tamed Tieboutianism’, in which fiscal imbalance is counteracted by horizontal fiscal equalization and policy coordination. The chapter shows that place equality regimes in Swiss metropolitan areas do have an equalizing effect across municipalities, but that substantial territorial disparities in municipal fiscal resources remain. Inequality patterns in resident wealth correlate strongly with inequality patterns in municipal revenues and expenditures. Fiscal and social policies within Swiss metropolitan areas therefore appear as strongly conditioned by spatial inequalities.

Research for this chapter was conducted in the framework by the National Centre of Competence in Research Challenges to Democracy in the twenty-first Century at the University of Zurich and funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation. We would like to thank Urs Scheuss for his assistance on earlier drafts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science and Center for Democracy Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Daniel Kübler & Philippe E. Rochat

Authors
  1. Daniel Kübler
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  2. Philippe E. Rochat
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA

    Jefferey M. Sellers

  2. University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil

    Marta Arretche

  3. University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Daniel Kübler

  4. The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

    Eran Razin

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Kübler, D., Rochat, P.E. (2017). ‘Tamed Tieboutianism’ and Spatial Inequalities in Swiss Metropolitan Areas. In: Sellers, J., Arretche, M., Kübler, D., Razin, E. (eds) Inequality and Governance in the Metropolis. Comparative Territorial Politics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-57378-0_5

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