Project

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Gestaltung der Beziehung Schweiz - Südafrika im Zeitvergleich

Applicant Widmer Thomas
Number 64599
Funding scheme NRP 42+ Relations between Switzerland and South Africa
Research institution Institut für Politikwissenschaft Universität Zürich
Institution of higher education University of Zurich - ZH
Main discipline Political science
Start/End 01.11.2001 - 31.12.2003
Approved amount 199'075.00
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Keywords (17)

foreign policy; decision-making processes; policy analysis; advocacy; coalition framework; policy cycle; domestic bases of foreign policy; Switzerland; South Africa; Aussenpolitik; Entscheidungsprozesse; Policy-Analyse; Advocacy-Koalitionen; Policy-Cycle; innere Dimension von; Schweiz; Südafrika

Lay Summary (English)

Lead
Lay summary
The designing of Swiss-South African relations during the Apartheid era
must be seen within the context of various political, economic and
societal changes: Both the international political system, including the
role played by the Republic of South Africa, and the political and
societal situations in South Africa and Switzerland underwent alterations
over time. Such changes resulted in various consequences for the inner
dimension of Swiss foreign policy, in particular regarding South Africa.
These changes are taken into consideration by the present political
science research project, which investigates how Swiss authorities'
official positions on the Apartheid regime came about, and compares them
across time. The study is limited to the inner dimension in that it
concentrates on Swiss governmental and non-governmental actors. The
international dimension is taken into account as a potential influencing
factor. The research project intends to address the following questions:

1) What was the Swiss federal government's policy regarding South Africa
from 1977 to 1994? What phases can be identified within this time span?
2) What characterizes the policy formulation processes during these
individual phases?
3) Which similarities and differences can be found between different
phases and what explains them?
4) Which similarities and differences can be detected when comparing
Switzerland's South Africa policy with its policies concerning two
selected cases? What accounts for them?

The study covers a time span beginning with the 1977 World Conference of
the United Nations for Action against Apartheid and ending with the
overcoming of Apartheid and the first free democratic elections in South
Africa in 1994.
Direct link to Lay Summary Last update: 21.02.2013

Responsible applicant and co-applicants

Employees

Publications

Publication
Policy change and policy stasis: Comparing Swiss foreign policy toward South Africa (1968-94) and Iraq (1990-91).
Hirschi Christian, Widmer Thomas (2010), Policy change and policy stasis: Comparing Swiss foreign policy toward South Africa (1968-94) and Iraq (1990-91)., in Policy Studies Journal , 38(3), 537-563.
Stabilität im Wandel. Gestaltung der schweizerischen Südafrikapolitik von 1968 bis 1994.
Widmer Thomas, Hirschi Christian (2005), Stabilität im Wandel. Gestaltung der schweizerischen Südafrikapolitik von 1968 bis 1994..

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