Civil society

Email: avishai.benish@mail.huji.ac.il

Academic Profile: 

LL.B., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2000; LL.M., Columbia University, New York, 2008; LL.D., Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2009; Lecturer, 2010.

Visiting Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA, 2014-2015

Currently Visiting at New York University, New York, USA

Chairman, ESPAnet Israel, the Israeli national association of the European Network for Social Policy Analysis (ESPAnet)

Research Interests:

Social rights take-up and advocacy

Regulation and welfare state governance

Administrative justice and accountability in privatized welfare services

Social law and socio-legal studies

Research Projects:

Special issue in Public Administration

Accountability and Hybridity: Understanding Mixed Accountability Regimes under the New Forms of Welfare Governance.

(Guest editor with Professor Paola Mattei, Oxford University)

We invite papers that advance the debate about accountability in welfare governance, focusing in particular on hybridity, changing modes and consequences of changing accountability regimes. Further details are available here.

Between Rights and Care: Integrating Social Rights Advocacy into Social Work Practice (Israel Science Foundation): This research project (with Professor Idit Weiss-Gal) seeks to examine and conceptualize the integration of rights-based advocacy into social workers’ practice by offering  a comprehensive and multifaceted empirical examination of how social workers under the reform engage in take-up practice; of their perceptions of the nature of take-up practice; and of whether and how they incorporate the rights discourse and its logic into their practice.

Social Rights Take-up (Israeli National Insurance Institute): This research project (with Professor John Gal, Professor Mimi Ajzenstadt & Dr. Roni Holler) explores the perceptions and practices of “take-up agents” in the public, private and non-profit sectors in the context of realizing the right to social security.

Publications:

Refereed articles:

Avishai Benish, Dana Halevy and Shimon Spiro (2018) “Regulating social welfare services: Between compliance and learning,” International Journal of Social Welfare, 27(3), 226-235. [Link]

Avishai Benish, Dana Halevy and Shimon Spiro (2018) “A professional learning-based approach to: A case study of the Youth Protection Authority in Israel,” Society and Welfare, 38(1). (Hebrew)

Avishai Benish and Liron David (2018) “The right of access the administration in the welfare state: The (non-)take-up of social rights and the duty to make social rights accessible,” Law and Government, 19, 395-427 [Link]

Avishai Benish, Hanan Haber and Rotem Eliahou (2017) “The Regulatory Welfare State in Pension Markets: Mitigating High Charges for Low Income Savers in the United Kingdom and Israel,” Journal of Social Policy 46(2) 313-330 [Link] [SSRN]

Nissim Cohen, Avishai Benish, and Aya Shamriz-Ilouz (2016) “When the Clients Can Choose: Dilemmas of Street-Level Workers in Choice-Based Social Services,” Social Service Review 90 (4) 620-646. [Link] [SSRN]

Avishai Benish and Asa Maron (2016) “Infusing Public Law into Privatized Welfare: Lawyers, Economists and the Competing Logics of Administrative Reform,” Law and Society Review 50(4) 953-984. [Link] [SSRN]

Avishai Benish and Michal Kremer (2015) “Filling the Void: A Model for the Constitutional Right to Dignified Existence based on the German Constitutional Law,” Work, Society and Law 14 263-279. (Hebrew) [SSRN]

Avishai Benish (2014) “Outsourcing, Discretion, and Administrative Justice: Exploring the Acceptability of Privatized Decision Making," Law and Policy 36(2): 113-133. [Link] [SSRN] [JP]

Avishai Benish (2014) “The Public Accountability of Privatized Activation: The Case of Israel,” Social Policy and Administration 42(2): 262-277. [Link] [SSRN] [JP]

Avishai Benish and David Levi-Faur (2012) “New Forms of Administrative Law in Third Party Government,” Public Administration 90: 886-900. [Link] [SSRN] [JP]

Avishai Benish (2012) “New Public Management Reforms in Social Services: Lessons from 'Welfare-to-Work' Programs in a Comparative Perspective,” Social Security 90: 259- 290.  (Hebrew) [Link]

Avishai Benish (2012) “Social Services in the 21st Century: Trends and Challenges,” Social Security 90: 5-13.  (Hebrew) [Link]

Avishai Benish (2010) “Re-Bureaucratizing Welfare Administration,” Social Service Review 84: 77-101. [Link] [SSRN]

Avishai Benish and Roie Tsarfatie (2008) "When Labor Becomes a Commodity Again: A Critical Examination of Abnormally Low Bids in the Procurement of Employment Services" Tel Aviv University Journal of Law and Social Change 1: 93. (Hebrew)  [Link]

Avishai Benish (2008) “Contracting Out from The perspective of Public Law: Privatized 'Welfare to Work' Programs and the Limits of Oversight" Hebrew University Law Review (Mishpatim) 38: 283. (Hebrew) [SSRN]

Avishai Benish (2005) “Implementation of the 'Wisconsin Program' in Israel – Legal Aspects” Work, Society and Law 11: 121. (Hebrew)

Chapters and articles in books:

Avishai Benish (2018). The Privatization of Social Services in Israel. In: The Privatization of Israel (Paz-Fuchs, A., Mandelkern R. and Galnoor I., Eds.) (pp. 173-200). Palgrave Macmillan, New York. [Link] [SSRN]

Avishai Benish (2009) "Access to Justice in Welfare Services: The Case of the Administrative Tribunals in the 'Wisconsin Program," in John Gal and Mimi Ajzenstadt (Eds.) Access to social justice in Israel. Jerusalem: Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel. (Hebrew) [Link]

Tzvi Inbar, Shlomo Guverman and Avishai Benish (2003) “Constitution-Making and Amending,” in: Procedures for Ratifying and Amending a Constitution and Methods of Designing an Additional Knesset Chamber. Jerusalem: Israel Democracy Institute. (Hebrew)

Books:

John Gal and Avishai Benish, editors (2018) For the Welfare State: Selected Essays by Abraham Doron Tel Aviv: Resling. (Hebrew) [Link]

Mordechai Kremnitzer, David Kretzmer and Avishai Benish (2002) The Basic Laws as a Constitutional Foundation. Jerusalem: Israel Democracy Institute. (Hebrew) [Link]

Academic editing:

Guest editor (with Paola Mattei), Public Administration, “Accountability and Hybridity: Understanding Mixed Accountability Regimes under the New Forms of Welfare Governance” [Call for Papers]

Editor (with David Levi-Faur and Oren Perez), Policy, Regulation & Governance eJournal [Link]

Editor, Social Welfare Law Section, Social Security Journal (Hebrew) [Link]

A nonprofit scholar with background in the fields of geography and environmental studies. My research focuses on three bodies of knowledge: 1) the social bases of organized environmentalism, 2) identity work in nonprofit and philanthropic studies, and 3) the role of volunteering and voluntary associations in the welfare state, with special focus on immigrants.

1) Individual and institutional bases of organized environmentalism. In this track, I seek to expand theoretical and empirical understanding of the individual- and institutional-bases of actors in environmental organizations, and the environmental behaviors of individuals in society. I developed and used the concepts of environmental philanthropy and environmental volunteering to depict active support to environmental causes.

Recent projects:

Intergenerational transmission of environmental behavior. This study examines how environmental behaviors and attitudes are transmitted across generations within the family. Our goal is to measure the relationship between cultural and economic influences in three countries (Israel, USA, South Korea) and the intergenerational transmission of environmental behavior within the family.

The role of youth movements in the development of environmental activism. This study is more historic interpretive in nature, and examines how the American Zionist youth movement Young Judaea has influenced values, beliefs, funding networks and attitudes of its alumni who migrated to Israel to take leadership roles in the development of the Israeli environmental movement.

2) Identity work in nonprofit and philanthropic organizations. The alignment of personal identity with organizational mission may serve a critical role in effectively addressing the challenge of citizen participation in civil society. In this track, I aim to better understand the role of identity in nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, including how philanthropic identities are aligned with other identities.

Recent projects:

Participatory philanthropy. Exploration of the motivations and the construction of multiple identities of participants in the charity sports events, depicting the blurring boundaries between donors and fundraisers in nonprofit organizations.

Volunteering by people with disability: we evaluate the role, impact, and identity construction of youth with disabilities who engage in volunteer work and service learning initiatives in Israel.

3) The role of volunteering and nonprofits in the welfare of immigrants and migrant workers. Various organizational mechanisms and services can facilitate improved social, cultural and economic integration of immigrants into their host societies. I study how volunteering, community-based organizations, and social enterprises facilitate the welfare and integration of immigrants into the social fabric of host societies.

Recent projects:

Immigrant volunteering in Germany: In light of the significant refugee and immigrant influx into Europe, we continue our exploration of immigrant volunteering, and study patterns and motivations of immigrant volunteering in Germany.

Voluntary associations of Filipino migrant workers in Israel: We survey community-based organizations of the Filipino migrant community in Israel to understand their provision of social and welfare services to its members, and the advocacy efforts to change policies related to their working conditions. We develop theoretical typology of migrant worker associations.

List of recent publications:

Articles in refereed journals (last 5 years)

McDougle, L. M., Greenspan, I., & Handy, F. (2011). Generation green:  Understanding the motivations and mechanisms influencing young adults’ environmental volunteering. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 16(4), 325-341.

Sinha, J., Greenspan, I., & Handy, F. (2011). Volunteering and civic participation among immigrant members of ethnic congregations: Complementary not competitive. Journal of Civil Society, 7(1), 23-40.

Greenspan, I., Sinha, J., & Handy, F. (2011). The road to volunteering is paved with good intentions: Is volunteering in congregations a response to altruism, social influence or instrumental benefits? International Journal of Volunteer Administration, 29(2), 1-17.

Greenspan, I., Handy, F., & Katz-Gerro, T. (2012). Environmental philanthropy: Is it similar to other types of environmental behavior? Organization & Environment, 25(2), 111-130.

Tal, A., Leon-Zchout, S., Greenspan, I., Oshri, L., & Akov, S. (2013). Israel’s environmental movement: Strategic challenges. Environmental Politics, 22(5), 779-791.

Greenspan, I. (2014). How can Bourdieu’s theory of capital benefit the understanding of advocacy NGOs? Theoretical framework and empirical illustration. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 43, 99-120.

Katz-Gerro, T., Greenspan, I., Handy, F., Lee, H.-Y., & Frey, A. (2015). Environmental philanthropy and environmental behavior in five countries:
Is there convergence among youth? Voluntas, 26(4), 1485-1509.

McDougle, L. M., Handy, F., Katz-Gerro, T., Greenspan, I., & Lee, H-Y. (2015). Factors predicting proclivity and intensity to volunteer for the environment in the US and South Korea. Journal of Environmental Planning & Management, 58(5), 837-854.

Greenspan I. (2015). From state orientation to civil society and partnership orientations: An outlook on development and change in the Israeli environmental movement. Bitahon Sotziali, 98, 157-193 (in Hebrew).

Walk, M., Greenspan, I., Crossley, H. & Handy, F. (2015). Skills-training programs in supported social enterprises: A social return on investment analysis. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 26(2), 129-144.

Walk, M., Greenspan, I., Crossley, H. & Handy, F. (2015). Mind the gap: Expectations versus experiences of clients utilizing job-training services in a social enterprise. Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 86(2), 221-244.

Katz-Gerro, T., Greenspan, I., Handy, F. & Lee, H.-Y. (forthcoming). Personal value types and environmental behaviors in four countries: Biospheric, universalism, benevolence, and conformity revisited. Environmental Values.

Ramarajan, L., Berger, I. & Greenspan, I. (forthcoming). Multiple identity configurations: The benefits of focused enhancement for prosocial behavior. Organization Science. 

Work in Progress / under review

“Participatory philanthropy: A nonprofit-centered conceptual framework of charity sports events.” w/ Berger, I.

“Do social work students have the skills to perform their role as client intermediaries?” w/ Zanbar, L., Yitzhaky, H.

“The environmental movement on the move: Diversification and institutionalization processes in the Israeli environmental movement.”

“Partnership ambiguity: Conceptualizing cross-sector partnerships across borders.” w/ Halevy, D.

“Green social workers: Environmental concerns, attitudes, and behaviors of social work students in Israel.” w/ McDougle, L. & Handy, F.

“Client volunteering in organizations serving clients with psychiatric disabilities.” w/ Meinhard, A.

Chapters in Book Collections

Katz, H. & Greenspan, I. (2015). Giving in Israel: From old religious traditions to an emerging culture of philanthropy. In: P. Wiepking & F. Handy (eds.), The Palgrave handbook of global philanthropy (pp. 316-337). Palgrave Macmillan.

** book is winner of the 2016 Virginia A. Hodgkinson Research Book Prize by the Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action**

Walk, M., Greenspan, I. Crossley, H. & Handy, F. (2014) Canadian immigrants and their access to services: A case study of a social purpose enterprise. In: J. Quarter, S. Ryan & A. Chan (eds.). Social purpose enterprises: Case studies for social change (pp. 162-187). Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Meinhard, A.G., Handy, F., & Greenspan, I. (2010). Corporate participation in the social economy: Employer-supported volunteering programs. In J. Quarter, L. Mook, & S. Ryan (Eds.), Researching the social economy: A Canadian perspective (pp. 245-266). Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press.

Greenspan, I. (2005). Palestinian and Israeli environmental narratives: Reflections on the 2002 Johannesburg Earth Summit. In S. Schoenfeld (Ed.), Palestinian and Israeli environmental narratives (pp. 75-92). Proceedings of a conference held in association with the Middle East Environmental Futures (MEEF) Project. Toronto, ON: York University, Centre for International and Security Studies.

Other Manuscripts

Cohen-Blankshtain, G., Greenspan, I., Naali-Yosef, H. & Geva, Y. (2015). Public participation in environmental decision-making: International perspectives. Tel Aviv: The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) (Hebrew)

מעורבות הציבור בקידום נושאים סביבתיים: סקירה ותובנות מפרספקטיבה בינלאומית. קישור

Greenspan, I. (2014). Environmental philanthropy: The relationship between philanthropic foundations and environmental NGOs in Israel. Jerusalem: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Center for the Study of Philanthropy in Israel [in Heb.]

פילנתרופיה סביבתית: יחסי הגומלין בין קרנות פילנתרופיות לארגוני הסביבה בישראל. קישור

Tal. A., Leon-Zchout, S., Frankel-Oshri, L., Greenspan, I., & Akov, S. (2011). Israel’s environmental movement: Trends, needs, and potential. Submitted to the JMG Foundation. Ben Gurion University. Beer Sheva, Israel (Heb. & Eng).

התנועה הסביבתית בישראל: מגמות, צרכים ופוטנציאל. קישור

Greenspan, I. (2005). Review of the book The Israeli third sector: Between welfare state and civil society, by B. Gidron, M. Bar, & H. Katz. Voluntas, 16(3), 312-314.

Ph.D. Dissertation: Israeli Environmental NGOs and Philanthropic Foundations: Donor Dependence, Organizational Characteristics, and Selection Mechanism. (University of Pennsylvania.)

Media

"החרדים יודעים לעשות מחאה" הארץ. 4.3.2014.

Editor (with Prof. Stuart Schoenfeld) of the news blog: Environment and Climate in the Middle East