Radical change in North Africa

15 March 2011. The panel in the HSG’s Audimax will be chaired by HanspeterSpörri (Teufen), journalist and for many years editor of Berne’s daily newspaper, Der Bund. The local TVO channel will air a summary of the debate on Sunday, 27 March, from 6 p.m.

Migration policy, financial markets and energy crisis

With regard to their import, the present events in North Africa may well be compared with the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall. To date, however, it is still difficult to gauge the consequences. HSG am Puls will be dealing with the issue of whether society, politics and the law in Switzerland are adequately prepared for the upheavals in the North African countries. Will the ageing Swiss society be able to afford to refuse entry to well educated people from North Africa who are willing to migrate? The oil-producing countries are unstable, the oil price is rising – a salutary shock for the financial markets? Hardly has the financial crisis been overcome and people are afraid of a new energy crisis – what does this mean for small-time savers and pension schemes? Questions such as these will be discussed by the panel.

North Africa from four different perspectives
The HSG disciplines have designated one exponent each for the discussion: the economist Monika Bütler (social and economic policy, member of the Bank Council of the National Bank, columnist of NZZ am Sonntagand DRS), the lawyer Thomas Geiser (labour, social insurance and family law; part-time judge at the Federal Supreme Court), the financial management specialist Manuel Ammann (financial markets, risk management, derivatives, board memberships and consultantfor various financial institutions, regular appearances on Swiss television and in various print media) and the social scientist Franz Schultheis (Professor ofSociology).

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