Local autonomy in motion: The case of municipally-initiated weekend public transportation

Abstract

Over the past decades, municipalities worldwide have sought to enhance their local autonomy in order to advance a liberal and progressive agenda. In Israel, a highly centralized state, the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality stands out in its efforts to challenge religion-based state-level policies. We examine the municipal formation of a multi-city public transportation network, designed to complement central government services during weekends. By analyzing the justifications, driving forces, and barriers faced by the municipality in promoting this project, we trace the rise of local autonomy and the growing city-state polarization. The research findings highlight how the municipality takes a bottom-up approach to intervene in controversial socio-political policy issues, which have traditionally been managed by the state, while also shedding light on the broader forces that drive and constrain municipality-led policy change.