Political Transformations and Political Entrepreneurs

This book presents a theoretical framework based on the empirical context of the Israeli political system to evaluate under what conditions and in what ways can fundamental institutional changes occur in a democratic political system.

"Political Transformations and Political Entrepreneurs offers refreshing insights into why democracies decide to alter the rules of the political game, how these processes occur, and what factors ensure their durability. By combining institutional analysis with a close study of the behavior of political entrepreneurs, Assaf Meydani succeeds in linking institution and agency into a compelling analysis of the vicissitudes of electoral reform. Relying on the Israeli experiment in the introduction - and subsequent revocation - of the direct election of the prime minister, he succeeds in pinpointing the factors which led to the convergence of structural necessity and political feasibility and places these in broad comparative perspective. This volume is highly recommended for those interested in democratic political change, political processes, policy reform and their interconnection." - Naomi Chazan, Professor of Political Science (emerita), Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Head of the School of Government and Society, the Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo

"This book is about stability and change. It provides a new interpretation to an old problem: how to alter processes and institutions in face of organizational opposition and resistance to the change. To the conventional analysis of change that examines institutions, processes and culture the author adds a necessary variable: Political Entrepreneurs. These entrepreneurs define the nature of the problem and the solutions. The book concentrates on the Israeli political system, but also brings evidences from Argentina, Italy, and New Zealand. I recommend the book for students of public policy, public administration, political science, and Israeli studies." - Gideon Doron, Professor of Political Science, Tel Aviv University, and President, The Israeli Political Science Association

"In this excellent and innovativestudy Meydani analyses the policy processes and the significant roles of the political entrepreneursin it." - David Nachmias, Professor of Government and Public Policy, Interdisciplinary Center, Israel

"This is a book about Israeli politics, but it is much more. The author uses Israel and several other cases to develop an interesting and potentially important model for explaining institutional change." - B. Guy Peters, Maurice Falk Professor of Government, University of Pittsburgh

DR ASSAF MEYDANI is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Government and Society at the Academic College of Tel-Aviv-Yaffo, Israel.