18 Nov 2025
Why agile economic ecosystems, not political activism, shape Switzerland's resilience
(English translation of the synopsis and the introduction of CCRS director Dr. Philipp Aerni's opinion post in the printed newspaper NZZ on 14.11.2025. Its German original title «Für ein zukunftsorientiertes Verständnis von Resilienz in Krisenzeiten» literally stands for «For a forward-looking understanding of resilience in times of crisis»).
Synopsis
Philipp Aerni argues that Switzerland’s resilience is shaped less by political activism and more by agile, future-oriented economic ecosystems. Companies respond to crises not defensively but by leveraging their competencies and innovations to create opportunities and strengthen long-term viability. Political interventions often fall short, while Switzerland’s pragmatic, federalist structures foster high-tech clusters that sustain robust economic resilience.
Introduction by NZZ
The inherent logic of economic ecosystems is that they are dynamic and highly complex. They do not return to a ‘natural’ equilibrium, but primarily seek to reproduce the order they have created and make it sustainable for the future. Their inherent logic follows the principles of evolution and self-organisation, and the decisions they make are always based on what benefits and what harms the sustainability of the order.