Flags and arms of cantons of Switzerland abandoned the use of the term "half-canton" as an official designation, so that the official number of cantons became 26 - the former half-cantons being now referred to as "cantons with half a cantonal vote" officially, even though they are still commonly referred to as" half-cantons". With the exception of Lucerne, Schwyz and Ticino, the cantonal flags are simply transposed versions of the cantonal coats of arms. In case of Lucerne and Ticino, whose flags consist of fields of different colours divided per fess (horizontally), the coats of arms are of the same colours divided per pale (vertically). The coat
Public Welfare Policy in Switzerland Public Welfare Policy in Switzerland The country of Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, has a comparatively meager public welfare system. As such, Switzerland is often classified as the model liberal-market economy of continental Europe, and stands out amongst other continental European states due to its small, means-tested welfare program. The OECD cites Switzerland's social expenditure as 19.6% of their gross domestic product, a rate that parallels other liberal-market states' spending rates. The welfare state arose in Switzerland in the late 19th century, and its existence and depth varied individually by canton. Some of the programs first adopted within Swiss cantons