1 Sport Policy in a Transformed Socio-Political Setting:

This article describes the impact of socio-political transformation processes on sport policy through the Israeli experience. A framework was developed for analyz-ing learning processes, utilizing the argument that under highly centralized sys-tems, citizens ’ preferences regarding any area of life, including sport, are strongly affected by governmental policy. We show that in Israel the lack of a significant sport policy during the centralized formative years of the State influenced citizens’ long-term preferences regarding sport, in the sense that it was regarded as a mar-ginal issue that did not trigger demands for policy change. We explain that the marginality of sport in Israeli society also continued when the nature of relations between citizens and politicians was transformed from a top-down to a bottom-up orientation. Key Words: sport policy, learning, alternative politics, Israeli society, political culture The nature of relations between politicians and citizens greatly influ-ences citizen attitudes, beliefs, and political behavior. Mantzavinos, North, and Shariq (2004) explain how an institutional setting, which is composed of both formal and informal rules, significantly influences learning processes as well as the formation of preferences in most fields of life. For example, political culture that evolves under central-ized political rules may differ from one that evolves under a de-centralized system. Yet, in addition to formal rules, informal conduct shapes citizen-politician relations. At any given level of forma