People talk about rule of law as a necessary prerequisite for a healthy society - I agree with it to an extent, but there is disagreement about what rule of law is. Most people imagine it as the presence of quality rules and organisations, but the much more important aspect of the whole thing is how much the rules get enforced and applied. This book goes into those differences quite handily.
The first part of the book describes how the modern Swiss society has come to be: borrowing a page from "Prisoners of Geography", the author explains the temperament of the Swiss being highly influenced by their environment throughout the millennia. The protective mountains, predictable weather, rolling hills and abundant fresh water can hardly be said to dissuade a healthy mental outlook. Then the book goes into history, and then the government - which is my favourite part.
A genius insight sits in this book for those with the wish to read it: differentiating between substantive, procedural and enforcement rules is one of the most important parts of designing a proper governance system, and Switzerland seems to have hit the Aristotelian mean in leniency and strictness. The book explains each of the 3 rule systems in Switzerland, and there's a lot of well-deserved praise for the mountainous little country.
The folklore and appearances of Switzerland do not interest me nearly as much as their political system as it stands, and this book is a good source for both. The writing sometimes goes into personal asides, which I didn't care for - but is otherwise solid.
8/10