The Political Economy of Israel: From Ideology to Stagnation (Suny Series in Israeli Studies)

This work offers a wide-ranging critique of Israel's socialist economy, seeing Israel's economic problems as due to its departure from the institutions and rules which govern predominantly market economies. Israel's economy has been operating on principles too far from European Liberalism (or American neo-Conservatism) and too close to Socialism. While national imperatives may have been a reason for ignoring economic considerations, ultimately this strategy led to domination of the economy by the government and the systematic exclusion and distrust of private enterprise. As long as the economy is not reformed to create a hospitable climate for private investment, Israel will not be able to extricate itself from economic stagnation.