Policy analysis is not conducted in a similar manner across states. Indeed, if this were the case there would have been little reason to publish a series dedicated to distinct national systems. Differences in national policy culture (Geva-May, 2002) and environment imply that policy analysis structure and focus is likely to diverge. Israel's policy environment could be considered exceptionally challenging, consisting externally of security threats and internally of deep social cleavages. Its policy culture is often characterised as involving a high measure of improvisation and, accordingly, relatively little planning (Dror, Foreword to this volume; Geva-May and Kfir, 2000). For these reasons, it is no surprise that Israel is often considered a laggard in terms of policy analysis development (Dror, 1968; Geva-May and Kfir, 2000). At the same time Dror claims in the volume's foreword that the State of Israel is an extreme case of a deliberate effort to radically change a trajectory of history. As such, it can serve as a test case of the potentials and limits of present mainstream policy analysis to help political leaders and other future-affecting decision makers significantly to influence alternative futures. As will be discussed below, while we concur with others that Israel's relatively unstable policy environment complicates policy analysis, we nevertheless believe that policy analysis has much to contribute to Israeli policy making.

Comparative work often looks for and stresses similarities (DeLeon and Resnick-Terry, 1998). We eschew, however, a depiction of Israel as moving on a course laid out previously by policy analysis leaders, primarily the United States. Although Israel is indeed a late developer, in terms of policy analysis, this very fact implies that the circumstances under which its development occurs are considerably different to those of policy analysis pioneers. Beyond its highly particular circumstances mentioned above, Israel's contemporary policy analysis development draws on the experience of other countries and on the backdrop of generally slow economic growth, compared to other Western countries (Ben-David, 2013), that poses a relatively rigid financial constraint on policy resources. These two factors – policy analysis learning and relatively unfavourable economic circumstances – are likely shared by numerous other countries. Hence, despite Israel's unquestionably unique international circumstances, a study of Israel as a policy analysis late developer could in fact provide important insights that are applicable elsewhere.