Reports on a follow-up study of the relationship between managerial quality, administrative performance and citizens' trust in government and in public administration systems. The study was based on a survey of 502 Israeli citizens conducted during 2002 and was compared with a similar study that was conducted during 2001 among 345 Israeli citizens. The research tried to validate and replicate previous ®ndings on the question of causality between performance and trust. As in the 2001 survey the technique of structural equation modeling with LISREL 8.3 was applied to test three competing models that were similar to those tested in the past. The present ®ndings were very consistent with the previous ones found by the authors showing that the second model was the best ®t with the data. According to this model managerial quality leads to administrative performance and ultimately to trust in governance. The ®ndings support previous assumptions that administrative performance may be treated as a precondition to trust in governance rather than trust serving as the precondition to performance.

New Localism has attracted growing interest among both researchers and practitioners who deal with local governance. Although most research on the subject has emphasized institutional and national points of view, this study aims to elucidate public opinion toward a governmental policy that for some fundamentally contradicts and for others goes hand in hand with the principles of New Localism: namely, an end-case scenario under which the central government neutralizes failing local authorities. Following Ford's (Ford, Richard T., 1999, Law's territory (A history of jurisdiction), Michigan Law Review 97:843-930) pioneering work "Law's Territory (A History of Jurisdiction)," we suggest a model that predicts the members of the public, based on individual-and community-level characteristics, who are likely to support the neutralization approach and further test the model using a field study of 1,321 residents of Israeli local authorities. Our analyses identified two individual-level factors (satisfaction with local services and social trust) and three community-level characteristics (socioeconomic status, ethnic majority versus minority population, and previous history of neutralization) that influence whether individuals are likely to support or oppose the neutralization approach. Implications of the findings are developed and discussed. INTROduCTION The justification for local government and localism is well rooted in theoretical and practical concepts of pluralism, diffusion of powers, responsiveness to local needs, efficiency of local services, opportunity for political participation, and the democratic right to elect, be elected to, and fill local executive roles (Jones and Stewart 1983; Mill 1991; Pratchett 2004). Subsidiarity is a more recent justification that has been integrated into national policies throughout the Western world (Council of Europe 1985, art. 4; Pratchett 2004). However, as we will show in this article, some dimensions of localism act as a double-edged sword. More specifically, the granting of legal status to organic jurisdictions-distinct social and political communities-may be aimed not

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The relationship between managerial quality, administrative performance and citizens' trust in government and in public administration systems is a field of study that so far has not received adequate scholarly attention. This article explores some interrelationships between these variables and empirically tests between causality, if it exists, between performance and trust. Applying a technique of structural equation modelling (SEM) with LISREL 8.3 the study examined a sample of 345 Israeli citizens and compared three alternative models. The second model that showed a quality performance trust relationship fitted the data best. However, the third model also had some advantages worthy of elaboration. Thus, we concluded that administrative performance may be treated as a precondition to trust in governance rather than trust serving as the precondition to performance. The article ends with further discussion of the findings and their meaning in light of the democratic, bureaucratic and new public management theory.

This article provides data and insights into Israeli public opinion about the welfare state and social policy. The study included 940 respondents who reported their attitudes towards various issues related to the welfare state. The study was conducted in spring 2008 prior to the current economic crisis. The findings show that, to a large extent, the Israeli public justifies state intervention in the supply of public services, supports public investment in services related to the welfare state, and recognizes the obligation to support those in need. As for various policy areas, the Israeli public regards education as a top priority, believing that investment in public education is likely to lead to achievements in other areas such as security and health. However, when asked about their willingness to pay more taxes for services related to the welfare state, respondents tended to be less enthusiastic. The research points to a significant gap between the social and economic policies in the past decade and the attitudes of large parts of Israeli society towards the welfare state. We provide possible explanations for that gap.