No. 109, July/August

In June 2017, the KOF Business Situation Indicator for the Swiss private economy went up for the sixth consecutive time (see G 4). The companies’ business situation has thus been gradually improving since the beginning of the year, reflecting the Swiss economy’s solid upward trend.

Universities increasingly rely on funding they have to acquire in competition with others rather than on funding they are being granted as block-grant. However, little is known with respect to how competitive funding affects the behaviour of universities. Therefore, this study analyses how tuition fees, international public funds and private funds influence the productivity of the most productive universities and whether they force peers to catch up with others or rather decrease their ability to compete.

According to the results of the semi-annual KOF Investment Survey, total investments by Swiss companies are set to rise in 2017. The respondents are planning to expand investment activities by around six per cent this year. This represents a slight upward correction of investment plans compared to the last Investment Survey.

Although the prevalence of part-time work among women facilitates their integration into the labour market, it also has its downsides. Part-time work represents a career barrier, cementing inequality between the sexes. Childcare is the main reason why women opt for part-time work. A larger range of childcare facilities and more part-time executive positions for women and men would mitigate the problem.