What Defines a Country’s Success - Switzerland's Experience in Comparison 

Overview

This online Summer School looks at the development of Switzerland in comparison with other successful small countries. Students will find out how Switzerland became one of the richest and most globalized countries in the world. During the three weeks of the Summer School, you will learn about the country’s roots and how it became an international finance center. We will also study its worldwide successful industries like watchmaking, pharmaceuticals, and food processing, through talking to leading experts.

We will then compare Switzerland to other successful small and open countries in today’s world. Together we will explore their singularities, similarities and remarkable differences. This will help us to understand whether there is one recipe for political survival and economic success, or if there are many different development paths. By doing so, we will examine which historical, sociological, and political factors have to be taken into account when explaining a country’s success. Last but not least, this will also help us to understand why countries react differently to crises such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic.

3 Key Facts about the University of Zurich : 

• Rankings: Study at Switzerland's best ranked comprehensive university

• Exceptional in teaching and research: Profit from the knowledge of world-leading experts

• Innovation: UZH is among the top 10 of Europe's most innovative universities