Cover example

in «NZZ Folio»

Publication date
Monday, 1st September 2025
Advertising deadline
Thursday, 7 August 2025
Print material deadline
Thursday, 14 August 2025

Editorial concept

At the top – and how to get there

In the upcoming issue of «NZZ Folio», we explore the timely and socially relevant topic of «elites» – with depth, insight, and a forward-looking perspective. Who belongs to today’s elite? How do people rise to the top – or find themselves deliberately excluded? What mechanisms shape ascent, power, and exclusivity in Switzerland and around the world?

With journalistic rigour and intellectual depth, this issue addresses a well-read and opinion-forming audience – ideal for brands seeking to position themselves in a premium environment.

Possible topics:

• The Overproduction of Elites – A new historical theory explains social unrest through an oversupply of power aspirants. What lessons can we learn from history? How can societies deal wisely with elites – and what responsibilities do elites carry? A smart analysis by renowned scholar Peter Turchin.
• Alone Among Elites – A report from the prestigious Salem boarding school: what defines an elite school, and how do students get in? Portraits of two pupils from very different backgrounds.
• Who Rules Switzerland? – Renowned sociologist Hanspeter Kriesi analyses who belongs to Switzerland’s political elite – and how that has changed over recent decades.
• In Conversation with Felix Bühlmann – Switzerland’s most prominent elite researcher discusses educational pathways, social origin, and the quiet power of networks.
• Rising to the Top – Inspiring success stories: including NASA director Thomas Zurbuchen, influencer Xenia Tchoumi, star architect Tilla Theus and celebrity chef Andreas Caminada on how they made it to the top – and how they realised they had arrived.

Subject to change