PCP
Photo creditsThe Party’s position
The PCP supports a public economy with clear responsibilities, competent management and investment horizons suited to the assets concerned. Public ownership should serve identifiable public purposes. Productive private enterprises, cooperatives and public enterprises should be able to contribute through transparent arrangements that protect the continuity and accessibility of essential services.
The Chinese experience
China provides material for studying the relationship between development planning, public enterprises, infrastructure and industrial capacity. The relevant lesson is the organisation of investment around lasting capabilities. Research must distinguish ownership, financing, management and regulation rather than attributing every outcome to a single institutional feature.
Application within Swiss institutions
Swiss federalism provides several levels at which public investment can be organised. The PCP proposes coordination between the Confederation, cantons, communes and public operators through agreed objectives and defined responsibilities. Existing institutions remain the setting for this work. Each proposal should identify who decides, who finances and who accounts for delivery.
Proposed measures
- Publish investment objectives and service obligations together.
- Prepare multi-year investment programmes with maintenance included.
- Evaluate productive capacity, service access and environmental effects alongside cash flows.
- Use transparent procurement and specify responsibilities in partnerships.
- Protect strategic public assets from disposal driven only by a short-term budget target.
- Support capable small and medium-sized suppliers through accessible procurement procedures.
Resources and implementation
Investment plans should separate construction costs, recurring expenditure, maintenance and foreseeable replacement. Funding proposals must identify the budgets concerned and explain how risks are shared. Project reviews should occur at agreed stages; a review can revise a weak project without abandoning the public objective that justified it.
Assessment of results
- Track asset condition and maintenance backlogs.
- Publish service availability and access measures.
- Compare approved costs with whole-life expenditure.
- Report whether the intended productive or service capacity has been delivered.
Contribute to this policy
A contribution on this policy should identify the measure concerned, the evidence to consider and the practical change proposed. Explain the relevant institution and any implications for resources or access. The research method gives the common framework for examining these questions.
