Switzerland the Chasselas (called Fendant in Valais) and Pinot noir. The Merlot is the main variety produced in Ticino. Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a country in Europe. It consists of 26 cantons, and the city of Bern is the seat of the federal authorities. The sovereign state is a federal republic situated in western, central and southern Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning
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