The Political System of Israel – אוניברסיטת רייכמן
The Political System of Israel
Spring Semester 2015
Course details: Fridays, 8:30-10:00, Room C.B01.
Course Purpose:
The class covers central topics of politics and governance in Israel. These are discussed and analyzed in the context of conceptual frameworks and mainstream research. We will examine the political and institutional heritage, the ideologies of the founders, the politics of institution building and maintenance, socio-economic cleavages, elections and coalitions and major public policies.
Required Texts:
Arian, A. 2005. The Second Republic: Politics in Israel. New York: Seven Bridges Press.
Arian, A., Nachmias, D. and Amir, R. 2002. Executive Governance in Israel. New York:
Palgrave.
Dowty, A. 1998. The Jewish State: A Century Later. Berkeley: University of California Press.
http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft709nb49x/.
Bard, M. and Nachmias, D. (eds.). 2009. Israel Studies: An Anthology.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/isdf/text/anthologytoc.html?187,436.
Final Grade:
Class participation: 10%
Midterm Paper: 20%
Final Paper: 70%
Schedule:
Week 1: Democratic Theory and Practice
Dahl, R. A. 2000. On Democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Munck G. and Verkuilen J. 2002. ”Conceptualizing and Measuring Democracy: Evaluating
Alternative Indices,” Comparative Political Studies, 35 (1), pp. 5-34.
Transparency International. Corruption Perceptions Index 2014,
https://www.transparency.org/cpi2014.
Economist Intelligence Unit. Democracy index 2013,
http://www.eiu.com/public/topical_report.aspx?campaignid=Democracy0814.
Week 2: The Shaping of Israeli Democracy
Dowty, Chaps. 1, 4 and 6.
Shapiro Y. 1993. “The Historical Origins of Israeli Democracy,” in Sprinzak E. and Diamond
- (eds.), Israel Democracy Under Stress. Boulder, Col.: Lynne Rienner, pp. 65-80.
Horowitz D. and Lissak M. 1978. Origins of the Israeli Polity: Palestine under the Mandate,
Chicago: University of Chicago Press, pp. 37-68.
Arian, Chap. 2
The Declaration of the Establishment of The State of Israel,
http://www.knesset.gov.il/docs/eng/megilat_eng.htm.
Weeks 3&4: Elites, Political Parties & Interest Groups
Arian, Chaps. 4 and 10.
Shamir M. and Arian A. 1999. ”Collective Identity and Electoral Competition in Israel,"
American Political Science Review, 93 (2), pp. 265-277.
Sprinzak E. 1993. “Elite Illegalism in Israel and the Question of Democracy,” in Sprinzak
- and Diamomd L. (eds.), Israel Democracy Under Stress. Boulder, Col.: Lynne
Rienner, pp. 173-198.
Nachmias D. 1991. ”Israel’s Bureaucratic Elite: Social Structure and Patronage,” Public
Administration Review, 51 (5), pp. 413-420.
Weeks 5&6: Voting and Coalition Governments
Arian, Chaps. 6-8.
Arian, Nachmias and Amir, Chap. 5.
Nachmias D. and Sened I. 1999. “The Bias of Pluralism: The Redistributive Effects of the
New Electoral Law,” in Shamir M. and Arian A. (eds.), The Elections in Israel-1996.
New York: State University of New York Press, pp. 269-294.
Week 7: Social-Economic Cleavages
Dowty, Chap. 9.
Peled Y. 1992. “Ethnic Democracy and the Legal Construction of Citizenship: Arab Citizens
of the Jewish State," American Political Science Review, 86 (2), pp. 432-443.
Ayalon H. and Shavit Y. 2004. “Educational Reforms and Inequalities in Israel: The MMI
Hypothesis Revisited,” Sociology of Education, 77 (2), pp.103-120.
Week 8: Civic Religion
Dowty, Chap. 8.
Cohen A. 2007. "The Religious Parties in the 2006 Election," Israel Affairs, 13 (2), pp. 325-
345.
Liebman C. and Susser, B. 1998. "Judaism and Jewishness in the Jewish State," The Annals
of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 555, pp. 15-25.
Week 9: Israel: Jewish-Democratic
Barak, A. 2009. “The Values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State” in Bard,
- and Nachmias, D. (eds.), Israel Studies: An Anthology.
Dowty A. 1999.” Is Israel Democratic? Substance and Semantics in the "Ethnic
Democracy" Debate,” Israel Studies, 4 (2), pp. 1-15.
Week 10: The Knesset – Representation and Legislation
Arian, Chap. 9.
Arian, Nachmias and Amir, Chap. 8.
Hazan R.Y. 1997.”Executive-Legislative Relations in an Era of Accelerated Reform:
Reshaping Government in Israel,” Legislative Studies Quarterly, 22 (3), pp. 329-350.
Week 11: The Executive Branch and The Judiciary
Arian, Nachmias and Amir, Chaps. 1-4.
Nachmias D. and Arbel-Ganz O. 2006. "Policy Implementation in Israel: The Loss of
Governmental Capacity," International Journal of Public Administration, 29 (9), pp.
679-699.
Weeks 12&13: Challenges to Israeli Democracy
Horowitz D. and Lissak M. 1998. Trouble in Utopia: The Overburdened Polity of Israel.
New York: State University of New York Press, pp.1-31.
Hermann. T., Heller, E., Cohen, C., and Lebel, Y. The Israeli Democracy Index 2014, Israel
Democracy Institute, http://en.idi.org.il/media/3823043/democracy_index_2014_Eng.pdf.
