I am very pleased to participate in this celebration of the publication of the book, Policy Analysis in Israel, that is a part of the international series published by Policy Press. I’ve already used several of the volumes in my work and have found them to be incredibly useful. Its important for us all to thank Iris Geva May and Michael Howlett for their leadership in conceptualizing the series and giving us the opportunity to have a picture of the breadth and depth of the field of policy analysis. Without works like this one, we would all be limited to our separate and unique views of the field. Like the Sufi story of the blind men and the elephant, each of us is limited by our own experience. Thus when the individual blind men describe an elephant one describes a trunk, another a tail, still another a foot. Yet each of them has no idea that their view is only one part of the total elephant.
My remarks today represent my attempt to look beyond one experience with our field and suggest some patterns that may transcend political borders. As some of you may know, I have seen my role as a chronicler and documenter of the field of policy analysis. As someone originally trained as a historian, I have tried to watch the changes that have occurred in this field both in the academy and in the field of practice. Both editions of my book Beyond Machiavelli represent my attempt to describe different eras within the field, first largely inside the US and then in the 21st century when the field clearly moved to recognize global experience. I am always on the lookout for changes in what we all call policy analysis yet those two words are used to encompass very different behaviors.
The second theme that underlies my remarks is more personal and focused on the Israeli context and my relationship to this country. I am a first generation American Jew who was brought up in South Dakota -- an unusual place for someone with my family’s background. My family was attentive to the creation of the state of Israel and my first trip to Israel took place nearly 50 years ago, before the Six Day War. My subsequent trips allowed me to observe the changes that have occurred in this country. My last trip took place in 2013 when I spent a week at Tel Aviv University where Gila was the chair of the policy program; I was there as a visiting faculty member. I do not pretend to be an expert in Israeli policy analysis but I have some familiarity with some of the issues discussed in the book. I found a number of themes in the volume we are celebrating that seem to support an interesting pattern.
My remarks today represent my attempt to look beyond one experience with our field and suggest some patterns that may transcend political borders. As some of you may know, I have seen my role as a chronicler and documenter of the field of policy analysis. As someone originally trained as a historian, I have tried to watch the changes that have occurred in this field both in the academy and in the field of practice. Both editions of my book Beyond Machiavelli represent my attempt to describe different eras within the field, first largely inside the US and then in the 21st century when the field clearly moved to recognize global experience. I am always on the lookout for changes in what we all call policy analysis yet those two words are used to encompass very different behaviors.
The second theme that underlies my remarks is more personal and focused on the Israeli context and my relationship to this country. I am a first generation American Jew who was brought up in South Dakota -- an unusual place for someone with my family’s background. My family was attentive to the creation of the state of Israel and my first trip to Israel took place nearly 50 years ago, before the Six Day War. My subsequent trips allowed me to observe the changes that have occurred in this country. My last trip took place in 2013 when I spent a week at Tel Aviv University where Gila was the chair of the policy program; I was there as a visiting faculty member. I do not pretend to be an expert in Israeli policy analysis but I have some familiarity with some of the issues discussed in the book. I found a number of themes in the volume we are celebrating that seem to support an interesting pattern.