POLICY ANALYSIS IN ISRAEL

Contents

List of figures and tables

Figures

Tables

Notes on the contributors

Foreword. Lessons from Israel’s experience

Thought experiment

Personal knowledge based

Select episodes

Overall assessment

Comparative comment

Barriers

Mission impossible

The ultimate challenge: fuzzy grand-policy gambling

What is to be done?

Introduction. Policy analysis in Israel: a late developer’s story

Analysing Israeli policy analysis

The chapters

Part One . The styles and methods of public policy analysis in Israel

1. Policy analysis under intense pressures1

Constraints

A problematic country

Israel’s cultural roots

The State Comptroller and policy analysis

An economy that is wealthy but far from the wealthiest

Coalition governments, with ultra-orthodox parties permanent fixtures or looming possibilities, and other problematic populations

Coping

Where does this leave policy analysis?

Israel is different, but not in all ways

2. Policy analysis evolution in Israel: building administrative capabilities

Introduction

An overview of public administration in Israel1

The development of the civil service in Israel

Contraction of the Israeli civil service and the state: changing sector boundaries

Privatisation: examples of changing boundaries and policy implications

Conclusion

Part Two. Policy analysis by the executive and the legislature

3. Policy analysis in Israel’s central government: latest developments and challenges ahead

Abstract

Introduction

4. Local government and the challenge of policy analysis

Local government in Israel: a brief contextual introduction

Policy analysis of local government: analysis from within

The urban water reform

The 2003 amalgamation reform

Policy analysis of local government: analysis at the border of government

Policy analysis of local government: analysis from outside

Policy analysis in local government

Frames

Conclusion

5. Policy analysis and the legislature

Literature review

The Research and Information Center: role and origins

The centre: structure, manpower, working procedure, aims and products

Discussion

6. The making of disability policy in Israel: ad hoc advisory expert panels

Introduction

The use of committees in public policy

Expert panels

The case of the sub-minimum wage committee

The case of deinstitutionalisation and community living policies committee

Discussion: lessons from Israel

Part Three. Policy analysis in specific government units

7. Policy analysis in the treasury: how does the Israeli Ministry of Finance arrive at a policy decision?1

Introduction

The centrality of the Ministry of Finance in policy analysis

Conducting policy analysis in the Ministry of Finance

Analysis of the Ministry of Finance’s policy from the perspective of a standard model of policy analysis

Explaining modes of policy analysis

8. Policy analysis at the Bank of Israel

Institutional and legal framework

The Research Department: professional capabilities, skills and quality control

Policy analysis in support of monetary policy

Policy analysis in support of financial stability and macroprudential analysis

Policy analysis in support of the Governor’s economic advisory role

Concluding remarks

Part Four. Policy analysis from the outside

9. Insiders within? The third sector and policy analysis in Israel

The third sector: awakening a neglected policy realm

On the tightrope between inside and outside

10. Policy analysis education in graduate programmes in Israel

Introduction

The context: background to developments in the Israeli public service

The study:

Study findings

Discussion: the state of the art

In summary

Index