Israel and the Many Pathways of Diffusion

This article explores the degree, conditions, and pathways by which instances of institutional change in Israel can be traced back to the EU, either through direct influence mechanisms or indirectly, through emulation. It examines the processes and mechanisms by which EU diffusion into the Israeli domestic system might occur, and identifies the main factors that facilitate and hamper receptivity to EU influence.

While there is little evidence that deliberate EU influence mechanisms – manipulation of utility calculations, socialisation, or persuasion – have produced substantial impact, Israelis emerge as highly selective, sophisticated emulators of EU institutions – adapting and implementing EU standards in specific policy realms, typically as the result of two distinct mechanisms of emulation: competition and lesson-drawing. The article demonstrates the possibility of variable pathways of diffusion of EU rules, standards, and norms beyond Europe, and advances existing knowledge of the conditions and pathways of emulation – the least understood mechanism of diffusion.