Attracting Investments and Companies: Federal Multi-Level Collaboration in Switzerland and Canada

While tackling the issue of place attractiveness for companies and investments in Canada and Switzerland at large, this research focuses on federal multi-level collaboration with two case studies: Ontario and Western Switzerland. Based on empirical data gathered from semi-structured interviews (n=22) and surveys (n=42) as well as on secondary data, it provides an analysis of the perception of intergovernmental collaboration by economic developers and a mapping of the challenges identified in both the Canadian and the Swiss contexts. A comparative perspective, complemented by data regarding business decision-making (n=30), allows us to draw lessons for economic developers in both countries, aiming at extending both academic and practitioners’ literatures.Findings show that the federal contexts in which attractive strategies occur cause specific challenges for economic developers. While judging that the system works well in general, the majority of Canadian economic developers interviewed mentioned different problems to solve, such as the confusion for companies generated by a federal multi-level system and the need for more business-oriented strategies away from political concerns. The majority of Swiss economic developers interviewed also acknowledged issues caused by the federal system and wished for improvements regarding coordination between federal entities and levels. In this regard, pragmatism is perceived as a crucial factor for the implementation of successful attractive strategies.