To have a complete understanding of immigration policy in Switzerland, it is crucial to understand the impact that direct democracy has in shaping public policies and public opinion. Hanspeter Kriesi and Alexander Trechsel, two eminent Swiss political scientists, consider direct democracy not only “the most important institution of the Swiss political system”, but also the most developed such system in the world, both in terms of meaning and effectiveness. terms of pure numbers. Swiss voters took part in 321 referendums between 1960 and 2003, more than seven on average per year, by far the most numerous of the 47 Council of Europe countries. The importance of direct democracy in ensuring the continued relevance of the immigration debate in Switzerland and its impact on attitudes towards immigration arise from its role as “a true system-shaping device, which has a great impact on competition between parties, on the government, on Parliament, on the legislative process and politics at all levels of the federal state". This section outlines the structure and functioning of direct democracy in Switzerland, followed by an assessment of its use and its impact on the Swiss political system, in particular the ubiquitous debate on immigration policy. There are four main elements that together constitute the core of Swiss direct democracy. democracy: mandatory referendums for constitutional changes, optional referendums, as well as popular initiatives and related counter-proposals. As mentioned above regarding the 1992 referendum on membership of the European Economic Area, mandatory referendums occur because “any amendment to the Constitution” is subject to “the approval of a double majority of both the people and the cantons.” This requirement was first and foremost... half of the document... discourses on foreigners and identity politics in Switzerland." Environment and Planning 38.9 (2006): 1693-713. Print.Schmid, Carol L. The Politics of Language : conflict, identity and cultural pluralism in comparative perspective. Oxford UP, 2001. Print.Sciarini, Pascal and Anke Tresch. "A two-level analysis of the determinants of direct democratic choices in Europe, immigration and foreign policy in Switzerland." of the European Union 10.456 (2009): 456-81. Print.Skenderovic, Damir. "Immigration and the radical right in Switzerland: ideology, discourse and opportunity." "Development Report: World Development Indicators Database," 19 February. 2010. .