National Economic Supply as an Emergency Precaution
Supplying modern societies with important goods and services has become more volatile due to the globalization of the flow of goods. In Switzerland, enterprises and the state cooperate on national economic supply to ensure the provision of vital requirements in times of crises. Changes are required if this system is to continue in the future, argues Andrin Hauri in this CSS Analysis.
The secure, uninterrupted supply of vital commodities and services is a core prerequisite for the smooth operation of highly developed countries such as Switzerland. Although this task has always been a challenging one, modern societies are marked by ever closer technical and operative inter-connectedness resulting in new and stronger dependencies, which make them increasingly vulnerable to disruptions of supply. Even small impairments of supply can now rapidly cause severe economic damage or endanger the population. For instance, an extended disruption of digital communication would have significantly more detrimental effects today than ten years ago.