It has recently been shown that a family of exponentially stable linear systems whose matrices generate a solvable Lie algebra possesses a quadratic common Lyapunov function, which implies that the corresponding switched linear system is exponentially stable for arbitrary switching. In this paper we prove that the same properties hold under the weaker condition that the Lie algebra generated by given matrices can be decomposed into a sum of a solvable ideal and a subalgebra with a compact Lie group. The corresponding local stability result for nonlinear switched systems is also established. Moreover, we demonstrate that if a Lie algebra fails to satisfy the above condition, then it can be generated by a family of stable matrices such that the corresponding switched linear system is not stable. Relevant facts from the theory of Lie algebras are collected at the end of the paper for easy reference.
