Episode Summary At the height of Nazi power in 1942, Switzerland was surrounded—geographically and politically—by Axis-controlled countries. While the country maintained a stance of neutrality throughout World War II, that neutrality came with trade-offs, contradictions, and difficult decisions. In this episode, historian Jakob Tanner helps unpack what life was really like in Switzerland during the war. We explore the widespread fear of...
I was working for a Big 4 consulting firm and knew I wanted to do something else. I’d figured out what I wanted my next job to be and was patiently waiting for the right opportunity. I wasn’t unhappy where I was, I just had an itch that couldn’t be scratched by my current role. Eventually, I found a job that seemed like the perfect match. The description fit exactly what I was after, and the skills they were looking for lined up with...
Episode Summary Nora Markwalder, former prosecutor and professor of criminal law and criminology at the University of St. Gallen, joins me to unpack how Switzerland’s criminal justice system really works. Drawing on her deep experience across criminal procedure, white-collar crime, and criminology, Nora explains what happens from the moment a crime is investigated all the way to sentencing. Expect to learn how Switzerland’s justice system...
Starting a podcast is fun—but it’s also hard. There are a bunch of decisions to make and skills to learn, and unless you have a background in radio or editing, they’ll all be new. I thought it might be helpful to share what I’ve learned, so if you’re thinking about starting your own podcast, you can get up and running faster than I did. As a general approach, I started by doing everything for free—using open-source software or...
Episode Summary Switzerland is often seen as a country of opportunity, but how easy is it to move up the economic ladder? And why do people believe inequality is rising when the data says otherwise? In this episode, Melanie Häner-Müller, economist and Head of Social Policy at the Institute for Swiss Economic Policy (IWP), explains the realities of social mobility and income inequality in Switzerland. We break down how social mobility is...
Episode Summary: Understanding Swiss History and Culture In this episode, I sat down with Diccon Bewes, the renowned author of Swiss Watching, Slow Train to Switzerland, and Around Switzerland in 80 Maps. Diccon takes us through Switzerland’s fascinating history, exploring what unites the country despite its linguistic and cultural diversity. Expect to learn about Switzerland’s unique path to neutrality, the evolution of its famous train...
