The new edition of the Swiss Social Policy Dictionary has been published by Seismo. The 251 contributions in this dictionary illustrate the great diversity and breadth of social policy. These policies, which are little valued by the public, seem to be taken for granted, operating, so to speak, in the background and on the margins of society, as Stéphane Rossini, Director of the Federal Social Insurance Office (FSIO), points out in the preface to the dictionary.
The new edition of the dictionary makes visible both the contents and the historical references of social policies, their relationship and links with other political fields, Swiss specificities as well as current and future challenges. It highlights the omnipresence of social policies in the Swiss context, ranging from financial transfer benefits to protect against social risks to specific support measures, sometimes covering sectoral policies (health policy, labour market policy, fiscal policy, etc.) and sometimes cross-cutting policies to maintain and promote social justice. A vernissage is being held on 28 October 2020 at the University of Applied Sciences in Bern, in collaboration with the various organisers: the Swiss Association for Social Policy (SSPA), the LIVES Centre, the School of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) and the Department of Social Work, University of Applied Sciences Western Switzerland (UAS-SO).
A "generalist" reference work
A total of 245 authors from the scientific world, public administration, private companies and civil society contributed to the new dictionary. In addition, 21 experts were involved in the selection and evaluation of the contributions, thus ensuring a high standard of quality. Published simultaneously in French and German in a generalist language avoiding any form of jargon, the new dictionary aims to make accessible the fundamental knowledge on social policy that is indispensable for both practice and research. The dictionary is intended for the general public as well as for professional and political circles, the media and those involved in education and training.
Information about the publication
Print:
- German: ISBN 978-3-03777-177-8
- French: ISBN 978-2-88351-088-3
Online (open access) :