Neue Studie: Der Schweizer Staat ist wohl grösser als gedacht

A new study suggests that Switzerland's state may be larger than previously thought. According to the Institute for Swiss Economic Policy at the University of Lucerne (IWP), the country's state quote, which measures the share of government spending relative to the country's gross domestic product (GDP), may have been underestimated.

Currently, the Swiss state quote stands at 33.4 percent, largely the same as it was in 1995. However, the IWP's analysis indicates that the true size of the Swiss state is larger when certain factors are taken into account.

One of these factors is the exclusion of mandatory contributions to pension plans and health insurance from the official state quote. Including these mandatory expenses increases the state quote to 45.9 percent. This puts Switzerland in closer proximity to Germany, which has a state quote of 48.1 percent. The study also examines the denominator of the state quote, the gross domestic product (GDP), which is often used without question as a measure.

However, the study argues that this measure has weaknesses, particularly for countries like Switzerland where border workers contribute a significant portion of the GDP. These workers receive fewer state benefits compared to locals. To address this, the study recommends using the net domestic product (NIP), which is the GDP minus depreciation costs, to calculate the state quote.

When using the NIP, the Swiss state quote rises to 43.6 percent, compared to the official figure of 33.4 percent. This highlights the growing weight of the state in Switzerland, particularly in relation to net income available for distribution, rather than the total GDP.