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Intro -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Notes on Contributors -- Abbreviations -- List of Figures -- Introduction: Regulation-A Multifaceted Instrument -- Regulation -- A Comparative View -- Regulation in Israel -- Deregulation -- About the Study -- Glossary -- References -- Regulation Policy as a Means of Balancing Conflicting Interests -- Banking Regulation in Israel: Balancing Systemic Stability and Consumer Protection -- Introduction -- The Israeli Banking System -- The Supervisor of Banks and His Regulatory Objectives -- Supervision of Bank Fees -- Optional Regulatory Models -- The Preferred Model for Israel -- Summary -- References -- The Tricky Nature of State-owned Enterprises: The Impact of Government Ownership -- Preface -- The Purpose of State Ownership -- The Enhanced Agency Problem: The Different Layers Derived from State Ownership -- Two Contradictory Aspects of the Regulatory Regime of SOEs -- The Commercial Aspect of an SOE as an Incorporated Enterprise -- Non-commercial Priorities of SOEs and Their Place in the Regulatory Regime -- OECD Guidelines on Corporate Governance of SOEs -- Summary -- References -- Regulation of Water and Sewage Corporations: Impact on Prices and Services -- Regulation of Israel's Water and Sewage Sector -- The Institutional Structure of the Water and Sewage Sector in Israel -- Excessive Cost Due to the Multitude of Corporations -- Attempts to Change the Institutional Structure -- Commercialization and Regulation -- Water as a Basic Right -- Impact of Regulation on Commercialization of the Water Sector -- Regulation of the Water and Sewage Sectors in Israel as Seen by Supervisors and the Corporations Being Supervised -- Excess of Bureaucracy and Regulation -- Costs not Priced -- Enforcement, Sanctions, and Incentives -- Disregarding Unique Needs -- Collection Costs.

1. Introduction: Regulation - A Multifaceted Instrument -- 2. Banking Regulation in Israel - Balancing Systemic Stability and Consumer Protection -- 3. The Tricky Nature of State-owned Enterprises: The Impact of Government Ownership -- 4. Regulation of Water and Sewage Corporations: Impact on Prices and Services -- 5. Regulation of Third Sector Organizations in Israel -- 6. Regulation of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection in Israel's Marine and Coastal Zone -- 7. Caught Between Traditional Inspection and Performance Measurement - The Regulation of the Israeli Education System -- 9. Regulating the Supply of Public Bus Services in Israel -- 10. Israel's Law and Regulation after the Natural Gas Discoveries -- 11. Conclusions: Over-regulation or Under-regulation?

The relationship between bureaucracy and democracy in modern nations has gained the attention of scholars and experts worldwide. This article uses the allegory of a tango dance to illuminate core pandemics of the bureaucracy–democracy interface. First, we propose a theoretical model that relates these arenas in the public realm. The model is then tested empirically based on four in-depth field studies of Israeli public sector organisations (in the fields of public energy, healthcare, policing and local governance). The studies were conducted simultaneously and were based on both qualitative and quantitative data collected in the intra-organisational and extra-organisational arenas. Respondents were 159 public sector personnel and 158 citizens who received services from the same organisations. Data were analysed with a structural equation modelling (SEM) technique. The findings reconfirmed a solid positive relationship between elements of an effective bureaucracy and segments of an active democracy. Moreover, strongest support was found for a mediating model where perceived performance mediated the bureaucratic–democratic relationship. Implications of the findings are discussed in both the intra- and extra-organisational context.