Boundaries and Transborder Relations: The Case of Switzerland

Author(s) : Walter Leimgruber

Source : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63016-8_7

Abstract:

Political boundaries separate different political systems, but can also be an incentive for cooperation. This dualism mirrors two different approaches: the political system protects its territory and the economic system needs exchange. Three different border effects result from these two opposing attitudes: direct effects (the doubling of infrastructure on either side) and induced effects (the visible signs of state authority). Both are directly related to the political system. Indirect effects, on the other hand, result from economic considerations: differences in salaries and prices provoke flows of workers and consumers in the direction of maximum advantage. By using Switzerland as an example, we show how transborder contacts can arise, how they can be gradually expanded and what the consequences are. The region of Basle, a trinational conurbation, is an excellent example to demonstrate the evolution of such cooperation, which started at the local scale but expanded further north into the upper Rhine valley and triggered the creation of other regional cooperation associations. It is an excellent example of how a population with a common history can collaborate across national (and even external EU) boundaries.