The regional dimension has played an important role in the spatial and social policies of Israel. Since the creation of the state, the quest for a balanced development of the (pre-1967) national space has been a permanent component of national policies - both in ideological and practical terms. Nonetheless, the actual outcomes of intended and unintended efforts have resulted in a highly unequal national space and growing regional disparities. To a large extent these outcomes express the governance failure of Israel's unitary state - i.e., the lack of a supportive regional government level.

The study analyses the growing contrast between Israel and other developed countries on the issue of regional governance. In contrast to international examples of greater regional functional autonomy and political assertiveness, Israel's regions are constrained by the ineffective involvement of central government and its field administration as well as the parochial interest of local authorities.

Structural changes expressed in the political re-territorialization of the state, as seen - for example - in European countries, are hampered by a lack of a genuine regional 'voice'. A centralistic political system and an electoral system based in national lists have prevented the development of a regional political basis. In the 'peripheral' regions, this is further compounded by the fragmented nature of the social regional fabric. Ethnic, cultural and local interests has inhibited the emergence of a shared regional identity and political mobilization.

From this institutionalist and social perspective, the study attempts to formulate the conditions for the development of an alternative regional governance system and a more integrated policy process across levels of government.

Ben-Elia Nahum, The Missing Link: Regional Government in Israel, Floersheimer Institute, Jerusalem, 2007.

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