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  • © 2018

The Privatization of Israel

The Withdrawal of State Responsibility

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Provides a comprehensive history of privatization policy in Israel and analyzes its multiple dimensions and ongoing expansion.

  • Reviews critically the consequences of privatization for the public sector and for society and democracy including its impact on inequality, democracy and the quality of public services.

  • Makes the point that privatization in Israel did not correspond with the withdrawal of the state, but rather at times strengthened its capacities to advance a nationalist ethos.

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiii
  2. Privatizing Israel: An Introduction

    • Ronen Mandelkern, Amir Paz-Fuchs
    Pages 1-18
  3. Privatization Policy: The Burden of Proof

    • Itzhak Galnoor
    Pages 19-48
  4. Privatization of the Israeli Welfare State

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 99-99
    2. Pension Privatization in Israel

      • Lilach Lurie
      Pages 101-121
    3. Privatization of Education in Israel

      • Tammy Harel Ben Shahar
      Pages 147-172
    4. The Privatization of Social Services in Israel

      • Avishai Benish
      Pages 173-200
  5. Privatization of the State

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 223-223
    2. The Privatization of Regulation in Israel

      • Yael Kariv-Teitelbaum
      Pages 225-254

About this book

The book is the first to cover all areas of privatization in Israel and one of the first to do so in general, including state infrastructure, immigration policy, land, health, education, welfare, regulation, and policy design. As such, it offers a comprehensive volume for students, policy makers, and scholars interested in the economic, sociological, political, and legal perspectives of a major policy trend that has changed the face and character of the modern state. In addition, it is a vital contribution to those who have an interest in changes in Israeli society, politics, and economy.



Reviews

“This indispensable volume offers the first comprehensive survey of privatization, a major driver of the transformation of Israel’s political-economic landscape over the last three decades. Core substantive chapters document and analyze privatization in all of the main branches of Israel’s welfare state. They are complemented by studies of other areas that range from land management to labor services to the crafting of public policy itself. Many other valuable contributions, not only for scholars of Israel, are found in the thoughtful and wide-ranging introduction and conclusion and chapters on the causes and consequences of privatization.” (Michael Shalev, Visiting Professor, Political Science, UC Berkeley & UCLA, USA, and Emeritus, Sociology & Political Science, Hebrew University, Israel)

“Israel stands out as one of the countries in which the privatization process has been most radical. In the last twenty years public expenditures out of GDP declined by more than 12 percent. Many public services were transferred to contractors. The share of unionized workers declined from 80 percent to 24 percent. These drastic changes make Israel an interesting case to analyze in order to understand privatization. The book teaches us a number of lessons. One is the importance of political support for privatization from all main parties. The second lesson is that living in a conflict lends support to privatization for various reasons. Hence, this interesting book is important not only to Israelis, but to others as well, as to all socially minded readers.” (Joseph Zeira, Professor of Economics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Sussex Law School, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK

    Amir Paz-Fuchs

  • School of Political Science, Government and International Affairs, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

    Ronen Mandelkern

  • The Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, Jerusalem, Israel

    Itzhak Galnoor

About the editors

​Amir Paz-Fuchs is Senior Lecturer in the School of Law at University of Sussex, UK, and Co-Director of the Privatization and State Responsibility Project at The Van Leer Institute, Jerusalem, Israel

Ronen Mandelkern is a Lecturer in the School of Political Science, Government, and International Relations at Tel Aviv University, Israel, and Researcher at The Van Leer Institute, Jerusalem, Israel


Itzhak Galnoor is Herbert Samuel Professor of Political Science (Emeritus) at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, and Senior Fellow at The Van Leer Institute, Jerusalem, Israel


Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Privatization of Israel

  • Book Subtitle: The Withdrawal of State Responsibility

  • Editors: Amir Paz-Fuchs, Ronen Mandelkern, Itzhak Galnoor

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-58261-4

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York

  • eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2018

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-137-60156-8Published: 03 May 2018

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-1-349-95921-1Published: 10 December 2019

  • eBook ISBN: 978-1-137-58261-4Published: 03 May 2018

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXIII, 419

  • Number of Illustrations: 6 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Middle Eastern Politics, International Political Economy

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access