Israel’s Water Policy 1980s–2000s: Advocacy Coalitions, Policy Stalemate, and Policy Change

Abstract

The question of what explains policy changes has been of much scholarly and practical interest. Of no less interest is the question of what explains long periods of policy stalemate, especially in situations where the risks generated by prolonged inaction due to policy impasses are obvious. This chapter attempts to explain the stalemate in Israel’s water policy during the two decades between 1980 and 2000, a stalemate that persisted despite consensus on the gravity of the status quo, the inadequacy of existing policies and the risks of the continuing impasse. The chapter also tries to identify the factors that account for policy changes in the 2000s. We analyze both policy impasse and policy change using the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) theoretical frameworks developed by Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith (Policy change and learning: an advocacy coalition approach. Westview Press, Boulder, 1993).