«Forum Standortmonitoring 2010»: Federalism as an
Opportunity for International Location Marketing
On August 31, the key findings of this year's
study «Standortmonitoring Wirtschaftsraum Zürich» - the annual
location monitoring study for the Greater Zurich Area - were
presented at the «Forum Standortmonitoring» event at the Lake
Side in Zurich. The 2010 edition, which was again prepared by
Credit Suisse on behalf of the Greater Zurich Area Foundation,
focused primarily on the macroeconomic implications of
structural change for the Greater Zurich Area. Following the
presentation of the study, three speakers discussed the
opportunities and challenges of international location marketing
in a federal system.
Ernst Stocker, Head of the Department of Economic Affairs of the
Canton of Zurich and President of the Greater Zurich Area
Foundation, welcomed the more than 200 participants, including
leading representatives from industry, science and politics. In
his opening speech Stocker paid tribute to the Greater Zurich
Area AG’s achievements to date. He reiterated his belief that
promoting a location must not end at the political borders of a
canton, and underscored the added value of jointly managing and
marketing coherent economic regions.
Thomas Rühl, Head of Regional Analysis at Credit Suisse,
presented the key findings of the study. Among other things, the
study concludes that structural change has improved the value
creation potential in the Greater Zurich Area as a whole. Due to
the region’s growing focus on specific high value-added economic
activities the recruitment of specialized personnel continues to
be somewhat of a challenge despite international migration.
A speech by Prof. Dr. Joseph Jung, Director of the Alfred
Escher-Stiftung, introduced the conference theme of «Federalism:
Opportunity or Risk for International Location Marketing?» Jung
impressively demonstrated how the life and work of the visionary
Alfred Escher in the 19th century has to this day had a lasting
influence on the Greater Zurich Area as a business and knowledge
center. Dr. Heinz Hauser, Professor Emeritus of International
Economics Theory and Policy at the University of St. Gallen,
then provided further food for thought on the subject, as he
called for a coexistence of competition and cooperation between
different institutions and levels in Switzerland’s international
location marketing. He came to the conclusion that competition
between institutions is beneficial overall to location marketing
and that some overlaps at the interface between institutions are
acceptable in the process. Finally, Dr. Felix E. Müller,
Editor-In-Chief of NZZ am Sonntag and member of the Think Tank
Thurgau Board of Trustees, took a somewhat ironic look at the
tension between individual and common interests, and called for
a more farsighted approach.
