Amateurs and Professionals in Israeli Politics

Abstract

The distinction between purposively motivated "amateurs" and more self-interested "professionals" as contrasting types of political activists is investigated (following Soule and Clarke's methods) in the Israeli context, where there are grounds for expecting the parties to appeal to different types: Labor, to professionals, DMC to amateurs, Herut to a mixture of both. More than 600 party activists from these three parties were surveyed, confirming the parties' different appeal to different activists. Israeli amateurs share with Israeli professionals a pragmatic willingness to compromise, unlike their American counterparts. On three counts—stress on program goals, de-emphasis on merely win ning elections, and advocacy of intra-party democracy—Israeli and American amateurs are similar. Socialization factors are examined to suggest explanations for these findings.