HU Credits: 4

Degree/Cycle: 2nd degree (Master)

Responsible Department: Political science

Semester: Yearly

Teaching Languages: Hebrew

Campus: Mt. Scopus

Course/Module Coordinator: Ayelet Rubabshi

Coordinator Email: ayelet.rubabshi@mail.huji.ac.il

Coordinator Office Hours: Mon 9:30-10:30

Teaching Staff:
Prof Reuven Hazan

Course/Module description:
This course examines Israeli politics in comparison to other democracies, on a theoretical and conceptual level as well as at a practical level. The course focuses on three main axes: 1. a review of the relevant academic literature of the main factors in comparative politics in general and in Israeli politics in particular; 2. a comparative analysis of the institutional arrangements adopted in Israel in comparison to other countries; 3. the presentation and discussion of the most recent research on Israeli politics in academia, at research institutes and in the political arena aimed at advancing proposals for political reform and assessing them comparatively.

Course/Module aims:
To understand Israeli politics in-depth and to familiarize the students with the strengths and weaknesses of Israeli politics. To have the students locate the institutional arrangements in Israeli politics in a comparative context. To have the students know the professional literature relevant for central issues of Israeli politics and to critically examine suggestions for political reform in Israel.

Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
1.To differentiate between different institutional arrangements based on classifications in the academic literature
2.To compare between the Israeli political institutions and those of other western democracies
3.To point out the strengths and the weaknesses of the Israeli political system
4.To examine in-depth various suggestions for political reform in Israel
5.To critically discuss suggestions for political-institutional reform in Israel based on theoretical knowledge and comparative empirical examples.

Attendance requirements(%):
100

Teaching arrangement and method of instruction: Mostly frontal lectures, but also several presentations by the students in small groups.

Course/Module Content:
1.Introduction: the comparative approach to politics
2.Is Israel unique?
3.Political reform
4.Regime type: presidential or parliamentary
5.The regime type in Israel: current status and suggestions for reform
6.Political parties
7.Political parties in Israel: current status and suggestions for reform
8.Electoral systems
9.The electoral system in Israel: current status and suggestions for reform
10.Candidate selection
11.Candidate selection in Israel: current status and suggestions for reform
12.The legislature, the executive and the relations between them
13.The legislature, the executive and the relations between them in Israel: current status and suggestions for reform
14.Coalitions and accountability
15.Coalitions and accountability: current status and suggestions for reform

Required Reading:
1. מבוא: הגישה ההשוואתית לפוליטיקה
Hague, Rod and Harrop, Martin (2010). Comparative Government and Politics: An Introduction. Basingstoke: Palgrave-Macmillan. Chapter 3, “Research Strategies”, pp. 43-56.
Lijphart, Arend (1971). “Comparative Politics and the Comparative Method.” American Political Science Review, Vol. 65 (3), pp. 682-693.

2. האם ישראל ייחודית?
Mahler, Gregory S. (2011). Politics and Government in Israel: The Maturation of a Modern State. Lanham: Roman and Littlefield. Introduction, “The Study of Israel in Comparative Context”, pp. 1-10.
Barnett, Michael (1996). “The Politics of Uniqueness: The Status of the Israeli Case.” In: Barnett, Michael (ed.) Israel in Comparative Perspective: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom. Albany: State University of New York Press, pp. 3-25.

3. רפורמה פוליטית
Rahat, Gideon (2008). The Politics of Regime Structure Reform in Democracies: Israel in Comparative and Theoretical Perspective. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. Chapter One, “Stability and Reform of the Regime Structures of Established Democracies”, pp. 7-43.

4. סוג המשטר: נשיאותי או פרלמנטרי
Lijphart, Arend (1999). Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performances in Thirty-Six Countries. New Haven: Yale University Press. Chapter 7, “Executive-Legislative Relations: Patterns of Dominance and Balance of Power”, pp. 116-135.
Linz, Juan J. (1990). “The Perils of Presidentialism”. Journal of Democracy. Vol. 1 (1), pp. 51-69.
Duverger, Maurice (1980). “A New Political System Model: Semi-Presidential Government”. European Journal of Political Research, Vol. 8 (2), pp. 165-187.
Hazan, Reuven Y. (1996). “Presidential Parliamentarism: Direct Popular Election of the Prime Minister, Israel's New Electoral and Political System”. Electoral Studies, Vol. 15 (1), pp. 21-37.

5. שיטת המשטר בישראל – המצב הקיים והצעות לשינוי
דורון, גדעון (2006). משטר נשיאותי לישראל. ירושלים: כרמל. פרק שביעי, "מהו סוג המשטר הראוי לישראל?", עמ' 282-299.

6. מפלגות פוליטיות
Katz, Richard S. and Mair, Peter (1995). “Changing Models of Party Organization and Party Democracy: The Emergence of the Cartel Party”. Party Politics, Vol. 1 (1), pp. 5-28.
Yishai, Yael (2001). “Bringing Society Back In: Post Cartel Parties in Israel”. Party Politics, Vol. 7 (6), pp. 667-687.
Lijphart, Arend (2012). Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performances in Thirty-Six Countries. New Haven: Yale University Press. Chapter 5, “Party Systems: Two-Party and Multiparty Patterns”, pp. 60-78.
Hazan, Reuven, Y. (1998). “Party System Change in Israel, 1948-98: A Conceptual and Typological Border-Stretching of Europe?”. In: Pennings, Paul and Lane, Jan-Erik (eds.). Comparing Party System Change. London: Routledge, pp. 151-166.

7. המפלגות בישראל – המצב הקיים והצעות לשינוי
קניג, עופר (2013). "מצב המפלגות בישראל". בתוך: רהט, גדעון, שלומית ברנע, חן פרידברג ועופר קניג (עורכים). תיקון שיטת הממשל בישראל. ירושלים: המכון הישראלי לדמוקרטיה, עמ' 125-144.

8. שיטות בחירה
Gallagher, Michael and Mitchell, Paul (2005). “Introduction to Electoral Systems”. In: Gallagher, Michael and Mitchell, Paul (eds.). The Politics of Electoral Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 3-15 only.
Rahat, Gideon and Hazan, Reuven Y. (2005). “Israel: The Politics of an Extreme Electoral System”. In: Gallagher, Michael and Mitchell, Paul (eds.). The Politics of Electoral Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 333-351.
Farrell, David M. (2011). Electoral Systems: A Comparative Introduction. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Chapter 5, “Mixed-Member Electoral Systems”, pp. 93-118.
אטמור, ניר ורהט, גדעון (2008). ”רפורמה בשיטת הבחירות של ישראל: שיטות יחסיות-אזוריות ותוצאותיהן הפוליטיות“. בתוך: כסיף, ארז (עורך). לחלק את הארץ: על שיטת החלוקה האזורית ועל אודות צדק חלוקתי, תל אביב: כרמל, עמ' 261-282.

9. שיטת הבחירות בישראל – המצב הקיים והצעות לשינוי
פרידברג, חן, ניר אטמור ואנה קנפלמן. (2013)."שיטת הבחירות בישראל: דיאגנוזה". בתוך: רהט, גדעון, שלומית ברנע, חן פרידברג ועופר קניג (עורכים). תיקון שיטת הממשל בישראל. ירושלים: המכון הישראלי לדמוקרטיה, עמ' 22-30.
פרידברג, חן וניר אטמור (2013). "שיטת בחירות יחסית אזורית". בתוך: רהט, גדעון, שלומית ברנע, חן פרידברג ועופר קניג (עורכים). תיקון שיטת הממשל בישראל. ירושלים: המכון הישראלי לדמוקרטיה, עמ' 60-113.

10. בחירת מועמדים
Hazan, Reuven Y. and Rahat, Gideon (2010). Democracy within Parties: Candidate Selection Methods and Their Political Consequences. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 1, “What is Candidate Selection and Why is it Important for Understanding Politics?”, pp. 1-15.
Rahat, Gideon; Hazan, Reuven Y. and Katz, Richard S. (2008). “Democracy and Political Parties: On the Uneasy Relationships between Participation, Competition and Representation”. Party Politics, Vol. 14 (6), pp. 663-683.

11. בחירת מועמדים בישראל – המצב הקיים והצעות לשינוי
Hazan, Reuven Y. and Gideon Rahat (2010). Democracy within Parties: Candidate Selection Methods and Their Political Consequences. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Chapter 10, “Candidate Selection, Political Parties, and Democracy”, pp. 165-178.

12. הרשות המחוקקת, הרשות המבצעת והיחסים בין הרשויות
Massicotte, Louis (2001). “Legislative Unicameralism: A Global Survey and A Few Case Studies”. Journal of Legislative Studies, Vol. 7 (1), pp. 151-170.
Chazan, Naomi (2005). “The Knesset”. Israel Affairs, Vol. 11 (2), pp. 392-416.
Loewenberg, Gerhard and Patterson, Samuel C. (1979). Comparing Legislatures. Boston: Little, Brown and Company. Chapter 7, “Executive-Legislative Relations”, pp. 231-279.
Mahler, Gregory, S. (2011). Politics and Government in Israel: The Maturation of a Modern State. Lanham: Roman and Littlefield. Chapter 5, “The Prime Minister and the Knesset”, pp. 117-139.

13. הרשות המחוקקת, הרשות המבצעת, והיחסים בין הרשויות בישראל – המצב הקיים והצעות לשינוי
ברנע, שלומית, שוריק דריישפיץ ומתן שרקנסקי (2013). "מודלים להרכבת ממשלה." בתוך: רהט, גדעון, שלומית ברנע, חן פרידברג ועופר קניג (עורכים). תיקון שיטת הממשל בישראל. ירושלים: המכון הישראלי לדמוקרטיה, עמ' 356-399.

14. קואליציות ואחריותיות
Lijphart, Arend (2012). Patterns of Democracy: Government Forms and Performances in Thirty-Six Countries. New Haven: Yale University Press. Chapter 6, “Cabinets: Concentration Versus Sharing of Executive Power”, pp. 79-104; Chapter 7, “Executive-Legislative Relations: Patterns of Dominance and Balance of Power”, pp. 123-126.
Arian, Asher, Nachmias, David and Amir, Ruth (2002). Executive Governance in Israel. Basingstoke: Palgrave. Chapter 5, “Elections, Coalitions and Governance”, pp. 87-105.

15. קואליציות ואחריותיות בישראל – המצב הקיים והצעות לשינוי
Bargsted, Matias A. and Kedar, Orit (2009). “Coalition-Targeted Duvergerian Voting: How Expectations Affect Voter Choice under Proportional Representation”. American Journal of Political Science, Vol. 53 (2), pp. 307-323.

Additional Reading Material:
See course website.

Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 20 %
Project work 60 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 20 %

Additional information:
• This syllabus is temporary and is therefore not binding. The final binding syllabus is the one uploaded to the course website.
• The grade will be calculated as follows: exam based on the reading material – 20% (students must get a passing grade); attendance, participation and presentation – 10% to 30%; final paper – 50% to 70%.
• For a full list of the course’s reading materials, including both the mandatory and recommended reading, see the course website in the Moodle system.
• During the course the lecturer can, based on his academic judgment, make changes in the course, including changing the assignments described in the syllabus or adding new assignments.