Polarised attitudes within Switzerland mean a pragmatic solution to the issue of EU free movement might no longer be possible

A proposal to reintroduce immigration quotas was approved by the Swiss electorate in a vote on 9 February. The vote has raised questions about Switzerland and the EU’s relationship as immigration quotas are incompatible with the principle of free movement which is contained within the bilateral treaties underpinning the Swiss-EU relationship. Clive H Church writes on the reaction both in Europe and within Switzerland over the last six months. He notes that opinion has become polarised over the issue in the country and that it may now be difficult for a pragmatic solution to emerge which is acceptable to both the EU and the supporters of the proposal

Journal Impact Factor

In a recent issue of Human Communication Research, Thomas Hugh Feeley notes, “journal impact rankings provide objective data for tenure, promotion, and, possibly, grant review committees on the quality of scholars’ work.” Though the metric is widely regarded as the conventional measure to assess the influence of a journal in both the social and physical sciences, many doubts regarding its effectiveness have been raised. This essay assesses the effectiveness of the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) as a scholarly metric. After first considering the metric\u27s history and developing a working definition of JIF (part one), next I delineate its strengths and weaknesses as a measurement tool of assessing journal prominence (part two). Then in part three, I argue that the amount of credence placed upon the metric by tenure and promotion committees needs to be critically examined, because these decisions are often based on the flawed and biased data provided by the JIF. The closing section addresses the appropriateness of the JIF for evaluating scholarship in the field of Communication

Switzerland is facing a dual crisis over its relations with the EU

On 26 May, Switzerland pulled out of negotiations over a new partnership with the European Union. Clive H. Church writes the country is now facing both a crisis in its relations with the EU and a democratic crisis over how the decision was made

Journal Impact Factor

In a recent issue of Human Communication Research, Thomas Hugh Feeley notes, “journal impact rankings provide objective data for tenure, promotion, and, possibly, grant review committees on the quality of scholars’ work.” Though the metric is widely regarded as the conventional measure to assess the influence of a journal in both the social and physical sciences, many doubts regarding its effectiveness have been raised. This essay assesses the effectiveness of the Journal Impact Factor (JIF) as a scholarly metric. After first considering the metric\u27s history and developing a working definition of JIF (part one), next I delineate its strengths and weaknesses as a measurement tool of assessing journal prominence (part two). Then in part three, I argue that the amount of credence placed upon the metric by tenure and promotion committees needs to be critically examined, because these decisions are often based on the flawed and biased data provided by the JIF. The closing section addresses the appropriateness of the JIF for evaluating scholarship in the field of Communication

Switzerland's 'green tsunami' slows to a trickle

Green parties were the main winners from the 2019 Swiss federal elections held on 20 October. However, as Clive H. Church writes, developments since the vote have illustrated the extent to which Swiss politics remains resistant to change. While the election generated some momentum behind efforts to strengthen the country’s climate policies, it remains unclear how far the process of ‘greening’ Swiss politics might go

The UK could be in line for years of Swiss-style negotiations with the EU

Prior to the Brexit referendum, it was common to cite Switzerland as a model for the UK to follow after leaving the European Union. Clive H. Church writes that while Brexiteers’ enthusiasm for this approach largely evaporated following the referendum, the UK has ultimately ended up on a path that has many potential similarities with the Swiss-EU relationship