Environment and development: The case of Israel

Abstract

Israel is a developed society according to economic measures and a developing one by virtue of its social propensities. This fact affected environmental politics in two ways: there is an “environmental crisis” caused by industrialization and economic growth. This crisis, however, has not induced active environmental politics prevalent in most developed societies: demands for improvements are articulated by elites rather than by attentive publics; ideologies emphasize national development which override environmental considerations; responsive capabilities are low. This pattern of politics, which is typical of developing societies, was explained by the predominance of the national goals, manifested in the structure of the economic and political institutions. A third category to the “two world” model was suggested, in order to cover the gap between developing and developed societies which may occur in the transition of the former to the latter.