"It is non-swiss to create something that has no function"
"Swiss are the world champions when it comes to saving money "
These two affirmations belong to our guide who showed us the Confederation Parliament. What is more, they provoked me to reflect upon the reasons why Swiss are a wealthy nation.
The first explanation that comes to my mind comes from Max Weber's "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism", in which he argues that capitalism and the pursuit of the economic gain is one of the by-products of the Protestant ethic. Even though this argumentation seems sound enough, I tend to be careful in attributing a result to a single phenomenon. That is, it rather seems to me that this Swiss wealth is the consequence of several determinant factors, bundled together, such as: industry progress and trade (with textiles, watches, cheese), neutrality, autonomy of the cantons in managing their territory (own constitution, tax laws, etc.) and nonetheless protestant religion in half of the Swiss territory.
Secondly, what it first stroke me when I came to St. Gallen and what it was confirmed to me various times is that Swiss don't have extravagant expectations concerning the standard of living, even though they would afford it. If you travel around Switzerland you will notice that the majority of people living in cities live in coupled houses, or in old, restored houses, which however, don't have an extraordinary standard. Coming from a culture where the material properties (house, car, clothes) are a proof of your social status and welfare, it still amazes me that Swiss citizens choose to live in decent (sometimes too decent for my taste), old, houses, which they share with other families. Nevertheless, this could be a good lessons for Romanians, which would also have a positive impact on the Romanian economy (not boosting the consume economy anymore).
Finally, here are some images from Bern:
"Swiss are the world champions when it comes to saving money "
These two affirmations belong to our guide who showed us the Confederation Parliament. What is more, they provoked me to reflect upon the reasons why Swiss are a wealthy nation.
The first explanation that comes to my mind comes from Max Weber's "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism", in which he argues that capitalism and the pursuit of the economic gain is one of the by-products of the Protestant ethic. Even though this argumentation seems sound enough, I tend to be careful in attributing a result to a single phenomenon. That is, it rather seems to me that this Swiss wealth is the consequence of several determinant factors, bundled together, such as: industry progress and trade (with textiles, watches, cheese), neutrality, autonomy of the cantons in managing their territory (own constitution, tax laws, etc.) and nonetheless protestant religion in half of the Swiss territory.
Secondly, what it first stroke me when I came to St. Gallen and what it was confirmed to me various times is that Swiss don't have extravagant expectations concerning the standard of living, even though they would afford it. If you travel around Switzerland you will notice that the majority of people living in cities live in coupled houses, or in old, restored houses, which however, don't have an extraordinary standard. Coming from a culture where the material properties (house, car, clothes) are a proof of your social status and welfare, it still amazes me that Swiss citizens choose to live in decent (sometimes too decent for my taste), old, houses, which they share with other families. Nevertheless, this could be a good lessons for Romanians, which would also have a positive impact on the Romanian economy (not boosting the consume economy anymore).
Finally, here are some images from Bern:
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