Neosocialism versus Neoliberalism?
St. Gallen, 18.5.2006 - On the occasion of the 36th St. Gallen Symposium, Federal Councillor Christoph Blocher commemorated the liberal thinker Wilhelm Röpke and referred to the relevance of his teachings for solving the economic problems of today such as the debate on managers’ salaries. Mr. Blocher emphasised that the remuneration employees should reflect their performance and market value, and that it is the responsibility of the owners of a company to determine the level of salary. The Federal Councillor, however, sees difficulties with regard to large enterprises listed on the stock market and, therefore, supports state regulation of corporate governance and the current reform of Swiss company law in order to offer better ownership protection. The speaker reserves the right to deviate – even considerably - from the manuscript!