Economic Citizenship
Economic Citizenship
Neoliberal Paradoxes of Empowerment
Amalia Sa’ar
Published in 2016 by
Berghahn Books
© 2016 Amalia Sa’ar
All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purposes of criticism and review, no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without written permission of the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sa’ar, Amalia, author.
Title: Economic citizenship : neoliberal paradoxes of empowerment / Amalia Sa’ar.
Description: New York : Berghahn Books, 2016. | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015047970| ISBN 9781785331794 (hardback : alk. paper) | ISBN 9781785331800 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Women—Israel—Social conditions. | Women—Israel—Economic conditions. | Women—Employment—Israel. | Poor women—Israel—Social conditions. | Discrimination—Israel. | Inequality—Israel. | Citizenship—Israel.
Classification: LCC HQ1728.5 .S23 2016 | DDC 305.4095694—dc23
LC record available at hkp://lccn.loc.gov/2015047970
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978-1-78533-179-4 hardback
ISBN 978-1-78533-180-0 ebook
In memory of my sister
Avi Dror-Sircovich.
Contents
List of Abbreviations and Research Projects
Part I. Paradoxes of the Pursuit of Solidarity amid Polarizing Social Inequalities
Chapter 1. Social Economy: The Quest for Social Justice under Neoliberalism
Part II. Women Making Sense of the Demand to Make Money
Part III. Economic Citizenship—Between the Right to Work and the Obligation to Be Productive
Chapter 5. Discussion—The Emergence of a Hybrid Local Discourse on Inclusion, Productivity, and Care
List of Tables
1.1 Selected data on social inequalities in Israel
1.2 Incidence of poverty among families by population groups (percentages)
1.3 Wage gaps in Israel, by ethnonationality and gender, 2012 (in Israeli New Shekel)
2.1 Arabs aged 15 and over, by labor force characteristics, sex, and selected characteristics, 2013
2.2 Single mothers—selected data
List of Abbreviations and Research Projects
Abbreviations
BONPO business-organized nonprofit organization
CED community economic development
EEW Economic Empowerment for Women (name of organization)
GONGO government-organized nongovernmental organization
Histadrut General Union of Hebrew Workers in the Land of Israel
JDC Joint Distribution Committee
MITL Ministry of Industry, Trade, and Labor
MATI (merkaz tipuah yazamut) State-sponsored centers for fostering entrepreneurship
NGO nongovernmental organization
NII National Insurance Agency (central state agency responsible for all social benefits)
NPO nonprofit organization
OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
Research Projects
al-Tufula (Arabic, “childhood”) Center
Atida project
Bedouin Village Study (focused on the Sawa Empowerment Project)
Mahut Center
Microentrepreneurship Study
Van Leer Research Group Survey
Acknowledgments
It is with great pleasure that I acknowledge the many people and institutions who have supported me and contributed to the research and writing of this book.
During several periods of fieldwork, spanning more than a decade, I met and became friends with many incredible women, and some men, Palestinian and Jewish, whose struggles to live full, dignified lives filled me with awe and inspiration, and whose kindness and generosity in letting me into their lives continue to imbue me with gratitude and humility. These women are not mentioned here by name because I am committed to protect their privacy. I hope that those of them who read the book will feel that I have communicated their perspectives with fairness