Varieties of consumer credit data regimes: A regulatory governance approach

Credit markets are expanding, and with them also the automated, large‐scale commercialization of personal credit data. The increasing use of data and scores for commodified decision making lends greater urgency to the study of credit data regulatory regimes. This article promotes a comparative regulatory governance perspective as the basis for theory‐driven, multidimensional measurement. In order to measure consumer protection, we distinguish three different subregimes (collection, profiling, and use) and construct a two‐dimensional index of consumer protection (market restriction and user empowerment). We then assess the index and demonstrate its applicability and validity, building on empirical analysis of the regulatory regimes in the United States, France, Sweden, and Israel for the year 2019. Our approach points to a new direction in researching and measuring regulatory regimes in a comparative manner, which looks beyond national analysis toward an in‐depth understanding of other, equally important, levels of variation.     

Islamic extremism and the peace process

This article first discusses the negative attitude of Islamic radical groups toward Israel and the peace process. It then presents an assessment of the long run potential of the Islamic radicals, as well as their present politico‐military capabilities to harm the peace process. The article focuses on the capacity of Islamic radicals to subvert or intimidate the pro‐peace Arab regimes, wage war and develop nuclear capabilities. It ends with some observations on how the activities of Islamic extremists influence the ongoing political debate in Israel on the future of the peace process.     

The Rise and Demise of the Two-State Paradigm

The conventional wisdom recommends the establishment of a Palestinian state to bring about an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (the two-state paradigm). This article first reviews the confluence of domestic and international factors that led to the resurgence of the two-state paradigm. Next, it concludes that a peaceful outcome in accordance with this paradigm is unlikely to emerge in the near future: the two national movements, the Palestinian and the Zionist, are not close to a historic compromise, and the Palestinians are not able to build a state. Finally, the article analyzes the policy options available to policymakers. State-building is unlikely to succeed. Similarly, a binational state, where Arabs and Jews live peacefully together is not within reach. A regional approach that advocates a greater role for Arab states in Palestinian affairs has better chances of stabilizing the situation than the previous options. Finally, in the absence of a solution, the most realistic policy appears to be conflict management.     

Evaluation of Efficiency in Crime Control and Crime Prevention Programs

The purpose of the study is to evaluate and compare the efficiency of crime control and crime prevention programs. The focus on efficiency adds knowledge about quality of performance in criminal justice programs. The case study covers twelve-year implementation process of two juvenile justice programs in a local law enforcement agency. A Truancy Reduction Program (TRP) represents the crime control approach. A School Resource Officer Program (SROP) represents the crime prevention approach. The evaluation shows that the SROP produced far more efficient results than the TRP. The SROP demonstrates gradual improvement and efficient implementation. The TRP appears inefficient and, therefore, should have been revised in the midst of the implementation period. The study draws policy implications for designing more efficient crime control and crime prevention programs. The implications can be useful for law enforcement agencies that contemplate or implement such programs     

Local Policy Determinants in a Centrist System

The study deals with determinants of local policy outputs inIsrael's centrist system. It compares the effects on local expenditurepolicy of political and socio-economic variables, as well asthe roles of tax revenue and central aid. Tax is analysed asan intervening variable between socio-economic factors and localpolicy, rather than as a policy output (the traditional conception);our findings indicate that tax is indeed an intervening variable.Government aid is also seen as an intervening factor which affectsvaritions in local policy outputs. Data indicate a two-stageprocess in which socio-economic factors affect the tax leveland government aid—which, in turn, affect policy outputs.The casual ordering of these findings is estimated through pathanalysis. ^*Special thanks are due to Mr. Uri On and Mr. Pinchas Kahanahfor their invaluable help in producing this paper and to Ms.Nechama Schpack for her help with processing the data.     

Egyptian Intellectuals in the Shadow of British Occupation

The 1930s bore witness to a turning point in the work of several important Egyptian intellectuals who were recognized for their Western inclinations. In light of the British presence in Egypt—which was accompanied by internal problems such as the economic crisis and the abrogation of the constitution by Prime Minister Sidqi—these intellectuals turned to Islamic-oriented writings. Their work was characterized by an anti-Western tone, and the general underlying message was that Europe was attempting to oppress as well as ‘westernize’ Islamic heritage. A claim that was frequently voiced by intellectuals was that orientalism, under the façade of scientific research, was consciously being used as a tool for undermining Islam as part of the cultural war between the East and West. The present article surveys the statements that were articulated on this topic by several of the era's most prominent Egyptian thinkers.     

Israeli-Turkish Tensions and their International Ramifications

The deterioration of relations between Israel and Turkey, culminating in the “Gaza flotilla” affair of June 2010, are part of a reorientation in the Turkish foreign policy over the past several years: a move away from the West and toward Muslim states and non-state groups, including such radical actors as Iran, Hamas and Hizballah. This article reviews the rationale for the Israeli-Turkish strategic partnership in the 1990s and the early years of this century. It then documents deviations in Turkish foreign policy from Western patterns. Next it examines how changes in Turkey's twenty-first century strategic environment, as well as in the domestic arena, led to a reorientation of Turkish foreign policy and to current tensions in bilateral relations. And finally, it assesses the impact of the changes in Turkish foreign policy on the Greater Middle East and global politics.