Beyond Comparativism
Israel's Welfare History in a Non-European Comparative Perspective
in Israel Studies ReviewAll currencies in US Dollar
Abstract
This article critiques Esping-Andersen's class-based theory of welfare regimes, demonstrating that the theory's scope conditions are not fulfilled by the Israeli case during the country's first three decades. It traces the transition of Israel's welfare regime and the consolidation of its welfare state in the 1970s. Based on historical analysis, the article points out two incongruities between Esping-Andersen's theory scope conditions and the case of Israel. Further, it argues that the transformation of Israel's welfare regime can be better explained by institutional historical theories that highlight the impact of the production regime on welfare and the significance of conflicts between high-skilled and low-skilled workers.
Contributor Notes
ARIE KRAMPF is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Government and Society at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo. His fields of research are Israel's economic history, international political economy, and the politics of central banks. Recent publications include The Israeli Path to Neoliberalism: State Continuity and Change (2018). E-mail: a.krampf@mta.ac.il