By competitive they must surely mean expensive and selective. Hahahahaaa
Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
151–160 of 243 posts
Re: Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
#152It better be, given the cost of living and the salaries here… :-) On a more serious note, although I have no idea how this report was produced, one might note that it was produced by the WEF (a business-friendly Swiss organisation) and that it may well be part of the ongoing political debate in Switzerland on how to implement the referendum result on restricting immigration. I'm not saying it's right, wrong, objectiv…
Is the cost of living proportional to competitiveness? Anyway, it seems like a mystery to me why tech firms like Google set up shop in small expensive Zurich instead of say cheaper, bigger Barcelona or Vienna, for example. I'd love to know what the incentives are for them.
> Anyway, it seems like a mystery to me why tech firms like Google set up shop in small expensive Zurich instead of say cheaper, bigger Barcelona or Vienna, for example
Have you seen where Google HQ is located in the US? Same story. And it's not about tax avoidance: California is not a low-tax state.
Re: Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
#153I have a few questions for Swiss expats. Could you tell me about the Swiss culture--at bit? I know it's a huge topic. Just some of the differences you see between the Swiss, and say Americans. I mainly interested in the Millenials. What do they think of Americans? Do they basically have the same hobbies? Are their any stark differences in what they value? Do they view Americans as spoiled? Do they fear us? This next…
Are these serious questions?
Re: Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
#154Earlier quoted context omitted.
The median income in Switzerland is PPP$35,083 and PPP$24,233 in France. The main difference is in healthcare, which in Switzerland is entirely private, post-payroll, and can easily amount to $500/month, whereas in France it's part public (payroll) part private. And the private part is usually paid on payroll too. Health insurance is mandatory in Switzerland, so it really is not disposable income, even if you have pr…
In Germany, 360 EUR or 16% of my salary goes to public healthcare and i still have to wait for weeks/months for the most basic appointments. Really makes me want to switch to private even though i think it will be worse in the long run.
My experience has been very different. I can walk into my doctor's office without an appointment, wait an hour, and immediately talk to him. Appointments can usually be made for the next week. I had to see a specialist or two, even get an MRI, and those appointments were not more than 2 weeks out.
Maybe it's the city you live in. I'm in Munich and have TK, and about the only thing I've paid out of pocket for is 25 euro for some blood work, and of course some small fees for prescriptions such as antibiotics.
Re: Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
I was making this point a few weeks ago and after looking into it more, I still think it's a valuable point to raise, but the truth is more nuanced than I expected. States in the US vary in nominal GSP per capita by only 2x — from Mississippi at $35K to Delaware at $70K. In the EU, it ranges from Bulgaria at €6K to Ireland at €55K. (This excludes DC and Luxembourg, which are outliers in many ways.) In fact, even Miss…
> Mississippi's GDP per capita being similar to that of France, Italy or Spain And that's why GDP per capita is so useless. You have a few multi billionaires running your country, and you have tens of millions of people in abject poverty, tens of millions with no health insurance, etc. Don't look at GDP per capita, it tells you noting about life for the average person.
How about median household income?
Mississippi's median household income is $36,919. This compares to the UK's median household income of $31,617.
Note, of course, that this doesn't count social benefits. The UK's household income is lower, but they also get the NHS, better unemployment insurance, and so on.
Re: Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
#156Earlier quoted context omitted.
With no historic federal interference, Mississippi would out do Switzerland in happiness, education, prosperity and general liberty? Somehow I doubt that. If anything, the Federal government is overly distracted bringing the slow parts of the country kicking and screaming into the 21st century and by those same parts randomly derailing it. But anyone ever want to secede again, I won't object.
Oh, a person with a little imagination might think of many ways MS could do better with less federal interference... As to not complaining about a possible future secession... You also think it's a federal obligation to bring the "slow parts" of the country "into the 21st century". I'll venture that anyone who makes that sort of mental investment in pharisaic priggishness has more to lose, ego-wise, if the "slow part…
My imagination isn't that good but I'm more than willing to take the risk of an ego bruise if seceding states wanted to go.
In fact, I'd be willing to pay for them to leave. Even willing to fund a wall on the Mason-Dixon line if they wanted one when the got independence.
And the first world part of the country wouldn't have to do such 'priggish' things as ending Jim Crow or endlessly fighting disenfranchisement. And those who feel oppressed by such outrageous intrusions as teaching evolution in schools, would have their own country to move to. Why they could have their war with Iran and a president who's testosterone levels are announced on the Dr Oz show while the rest of the country could move on. Everyone wins!
Re: Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
#157Re: Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is the cost of living proportional to competitiveness? Anyway, it seems like a mystery to me why tech firms like Google set up shop in small expensive Zurich instead of say cheaper, bigger Barcelona or Vienna, for example. I'd love to know what the incentives are for them.
Well, in Google's case, there's ETH Zurich. Just today, I saw in the newspaper (WSJ university rankings[1]) that ETH was rated top of the pops globally in computer science. (On a related note, I remember vaguely that Disney built a research lab here in Zurich just because of one professor and his team.[2]) Also, in the good old times (= before the rise of right-wing populism and the referendum) Google could attract g…
Also note that Google acquired Swiss company Endoxon for their maps technology, providing them with many Swiss employees early on. Endoxon was much more advanced technology-wise than Google's own service at that time. That acquisition is also the reason why the Google maps team is located in Zurich.
Re: Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
#159Earlier quoted context omitted.
You probably mean Urs Hölzle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urs_H%C3%B6lzle ps: expats usually remain expats almost everywhere (as they tend to stick together), what's so inflexible about .ch in particular?
> what's so inflexible about .ch in particular? Well, I remember when arriving for work in Geneva a few years ago, a French colleague informed me (quite seriously :) that one can not urinate in the street. The American colleague mentioned "oh, and quiet hours after 10 pm". And you are not supposed to hunt the swans swimming in the lake. (& My youngish Swiss friends all complain about how "boring" it is.) I think Swit…
> that one can not urinate in the street
never heard of such a law. If anything there's maybe one in certain cities. I know this is just an example, but I wonder why you'd bring this example up as an example about inflexibility?
> oh, and quiet hours after 10 pm
yep, that's fact.
> And you are not supposed to hunt the swans swimming in the lake.
Again, why would you bring that up as an example? I'm not sure whether you're joking or not.
I'm Swiss and indeed some things are quite different than in other countries, what you posted as an example I don't consider relevant at all.
What my non-swiss friends complain about, is usually how hard it is to get to know Swiss people well. Swiss take a long time to call someone a friend.
Re: Switzerland is the world’s most competitive economy
#160Rest of the world can learn from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantons_of_Switzerland