ISRAEL 15 Vision: Leapfrogging The Periphery

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Executive Summary (excerpt)

This document presents a conceptual framework on how to leapfrog Israel’s geographic periphery – i.e. its remote regions. It outlines which strategies can succeed in rapidly improving the socio-economic status of these regions. Doing so is a necessary condition to realize the ISRAEL 15 Vision (see below). This document represents the joint work of the Reut Institute, the Jewish Agency’s Partnership 2000 Program and JDC-ELKA. The recommendations it makes are based on the latest research in regional development, meetings with experts and field personnel in Israel, two pilot projects in Beit Shemesh and the Western Galilee, and a study of the experience gained by ELKA also in the Western Galilee.

The ISRAEL 15 Vision calls for Israel to become one of the top 15 countries in terms of its citizens’ quality of life. This vision requires a socio-economic leapfrog that can narrow the gap in quality of life between Israel and the world’s leading countries. Leapfrogging requires that three trends occur: one, rapid and sustained growth that enlarges the economic pie; two, the allocation of this “pie” in an inclusive fashion such that the quality of life improves for all citizens; and three, the preservation of resources for the benefit of future generations. Put simply, leapfrogging requires growth, inclusiveness, and sustainability.