This article examines federal dynamics during times of crisis in a decentralized federation, taking Switzerland as an example. Based on qualitative research, we analyse how the relationship between the federal government and the cantons evolved since the 2008/09 demand crisis. Following common...

By gathering institutional details on funding and health research systems in a comparative perspective, Structure and Dynamics of Health Research and Public Funding offers, for the first time, a comprehensive and systematic view of the options and restrictions to which scientists, clinicians and...

The article presents a case of successful constitutional change in Switzerland, the "re-assignment of responsibilities between the federal government and the cantons and the new fiscal equalization scheme," which was adopted in 2004 by referendum. By starting from the general assumption that...

This article builds on the recent policy diffusion literature and attempts to overcome one of its major problems, namely the lack of a coherent theoretical framework. The literature defines policy diffusion as a process where policy choices are interdependent, and identifies several diffusion...

A basic paradox in funding policy is that policy-makers want to guarantee maximum welfare benefits without violating the independence of scientists and their organisations. This article contends that this problem can be adequately conceptualised in terms of delegation and principal-agent theory....

The rational choice perspective is prominent in many sociological, economic and political science literature but has been undervalued until now in the field of science studies. This special issue attempts to revalorise this perspective by introducing the principal-agent theory with relation to...

The article highlights the main problems Switzerland faces in engaging in a more encompassing knowledge and innovation policy, an objective that is widely shared by the political elites. Two ‘coordination gaps’ are highlighted in the context of Switzerland: the ‘federal divide’ that...