Public Policy in Israel

The inspiration for writing Public Policy in Israel originated in a series of conventions and workshops under the auspices of the Executive Program in Public Policy, held at Tel-Aviv University and the Israel Democracy Institute.

Most of the participants in those conventions, from Israel and abroad, are party to the opinion that public policy in Israel is currently at a watershed. The various areas of policy have appeared on the political agenda at different times. In many areas, especially those traditionally comprising the foundation stones of the welfare state - education, health, housing, social security, employment and civil rights - extensive changes have been made or at least recommended. In fact, the functions of the state and the extent of those functions are changing as well, both in terms of the historical limits of "public" and "private" and the structure of government.

This book examines the central developments and the current condition of public policy in Israel. The first section analyses the institutional-political context in which public policy is formed, applied and evaluated. The emphasis in this section is on the importance of the institutions, their different policy determination processes, and the resulting differences.

The four articles in the second section focus on the institutional involvement of the governing power. Public administration has expanded in breadth and power and has also become a central policy factor. The attempts to reform it and make it more responsible and effective, have failed. Local government has always depended greatly upon central government. Nonetheless, the institutional changes that occurred recently, such as direct election of local council heads and de-facto decentralization, have changed the orientation of local policy. The Supreme Court has become more active in determining policy, particularly as a result of "The Constitutional Revolution". This revolution, expressed, among other things, in terms of positive action policy, strengthens the institutionalization of policy changes.

The third section includes a critical analysis of policy guidelines on the following topics: economics, education and health, housing, social welfare and transportation. The articles were written in light of the ideational frameworks developed in the first section, and they include political dilemmas and recommendations.