Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables and figures
- Notes on the contributors
- Foreword Lessons from Israel's experience
- Introduction Policy analysis in Israel: a late developer's story
- Part One The styles and methods of public policy analysis in Israel
- Part Two Policy analysis by the executive and the legislature
- Part Three Policy analysis in specific government units
- Part Four Policy analysis from the outside
- Index
Two - Policy analysis evolution in Israel: building administrative capabilities
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 September 2022
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of tables and figures
- Notes on the contributors
- Foreword Lessons from Israel's experience
- Introduction Policy analysis in Israel: a late developer's story
- Part One The styles and methods of public policy analysis in Israel
- Part Two Policy analysis by the executive and the legislature
- Part Three Policy analysis in specific government units
- Part Four Policy analysis from the outside
- Index
Summary
Introduction
This chapter examines how policy analysis has evolved in Israel over time in relation to governmental public administration. The main question we will address is how policy is formulated and policy-making capabilities have evolved over time in Israel, despite the relative dearth of policy analysis as formalised practice in the public sector. We address this question by examining governmental public administration in its broadest meaning, focusing mainly on the civil service for which government ministers have ministerial responsibility.
The civil service is first and foremost a state institution, and due to its permanence and continuity it is in some ways even more representative of ‘the state’ than elected institutions. In the Israeli context this raises several questions: is the weakening of the state also evident in the civil service? Has the relationship between the civil service and the political echelon changed over time? Is the Israeli civil service capable of making an autonomous, professional contribution to better policy-making?
Since the governmental civil service plays a key institutional role in making and executing policy decisions, this chapter begins by examining the evolution of its role and functioning. We first review the basic elements of public administration in Israel, and then contextualise this description in comparative perspective in order to assess the changes that have taken place in Israel since the founding of the state. Subsequently, we review shifting sector boundaries between the public, private and civic spheres. A consideration of these boundaries provides the context of the trend toward privatisation, meaning the shifting of responsibility from the governmental–public sector to other spheres. To consider privatisation and its limits, two cases in the 2000s are considered – the attempt to start the privatisation of the prison system, and the tender for international consultants to outline a strategic plan for Israel's socio-economic future. Since these cases are so recent to the time of this writing, the assessment of their ultimate impact on policy change is necessarily speculative in nature. These examples, however, serve as useful windows for gaining insight about key factors that have influenced the evolution of policy analysis in Israel, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Policy Analysis in Israel , pp. 37 - 52Publisher: Bristol University PressPrint publication year: 2016