Abstract
This article addresses a policy paradox that characterizes many health care systems and the Israeli system in particular, that is, the existence of two parallel yet seemingly contradictory policy trends: reducing public financing for health care services while increasing governmental involvement in health-system management. The authors characterize this process as privatization through centralization; that is, to control welfare-state expenses and be able to reduce them, the government must first control the funding and management of welfare-state mechanisms and organizations. They develop a theoretical rationale for explaining this policy paradox and demonstrate it through analyzing the legislative changes that followed the legislation of the National Health Insurance Law in Israel.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 412-437 |
| Number of pages | 26 |
| Journal | Administration and Society |
| Volume | 44 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2012 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This project was supported in part by the Israel National Institute for Health Policy and Health Services Research (NIHP).
Keywords
- Israel
- health care systems
- policy paradox
- privatization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
- Public Administration
- Marketing
