Innovative policymaking resulting from political pressure from three non-governmental organizations: An israeli case study

This article presents innovative policymaking by the Israeli government regarding illegal immigration as an outcome of the activity of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Initially, government policy on this issue has been very conservative, yet poorly defined, aimed at preventing the entrance of illegal immigrants. By employing various sophisticated strategies, three NGOs exert pressure on the government to implement flexible, humanitarian policies more considerate of newcomers' needs. The article examines the influence and strategies of these NGOs, focusing on how this pressure is successfully exerted. A combination of power and network theories was used to interpret innovative government policy as an outcome of NGO pressure. This qualitative case study included documents from court records and 25 interviews. Their analysis shows that NGOs use direct hard power strategies to challenge the government directly in the High Court and indirect soft power strategies to focus public opinion on the plight of the immigrants. These strategies are effective in persuading the government to adopt more innovative policies toward the newcomers. We can apply the lesson from this case study to other government policymaking. Where policies are poorly defined and potentially embarrassing, NGOs can successfully assert pressure on the government to take innovative action. This is particularly true if a number of NGOs work collaboratively on the issue.