With people worldwide concerned about a possible decline of cash, Sunday’s vote could be seen as a signal, says an internationally renowned advocate. But conspiracy theories are never far away from cash, as an analysis with sociological perspectives explains. With Sunday’s national vote, Switzerland has enshrined the preservation of cash in its federal constitution. The official information booklet for the vote, provided by the government, stated that this shift would have no impact on everyday life – nor involve any new tasks or costs. However, on a symbolic level at least, many people seem to value the fact that cash is now explicitly anchored at constitutional level and not just in normal law – and this includes people outside Switzerland. An important signal to the world South African anthropologist and activist Brett Scott told Swissinfo before the vote that it would be an “important moment of signalling to the rest of the world” if Switzerland were to enshrine cash in its ...
