Causes and Remedies for Poverty: Perceptions among Local Elected Leaders in Israel

In view of the increasing role of local government in formulating and providing welfare programs in many countries, the factors that shape the local policy arena are of much interest. Integrating two bodies of research — that of problem definition and framing in public policy and that of perceptions about poverty — the study investigates how heads of local authorities in Israel perceive the causes of poverty and how these perceptions are related to policy options for combating poverty. The findings reveal the importance of the leaders' perceptions of the causes of poverty and value orientation in explaining their policy preferences for dealing with poverty. The findings also point to the need for further research on the context of the local authority and its influence on the policy preferences of local leaders. The data is based on the responses to mail questionnaires distributed in 2002 to heads of local municipalities in Israel.