Local Collaborative Governance: Creating Workplaces for Women in Minority Societies n Southern Israel

Abstract

Collaborative governance (CG) brings together representatives of all sectors for the purpose of reaching consensus-oriented decision making. We explore the reliance on local CG in minority society. As the closest tier of government to citizens, local government plays a crucial mediator role between citizens and the state. This is especially important in the case of minorities. In this chapter we focus on local attempts to increase women employment in the Southern Israeli Arab-Bedouin village of Hura. Given low socioeconomic conditions, we find that local authorities reliance on collaborative governance in minorities’ towns plays a crucial role in the attempts to mediate between stakeholders and exceed beyond the provision of basic tasks and responsibilities.