A Political-Cultural Perspective on Judicial Activism and Democracy: The Israeli Supreme Court as a Policymaker.

This paper explores the connection between forms of political participation and the political role of the Supreme Court. Specifically, we analyze the impact of a form of political participation that we term quasi-exit on judicial activism in Israel, understood in terms of Disposition, Justiciability and Standing. We argue that under certain socio-political and cultural circumstances, the general public, often including politicians, view the Supreme Court as a policy maker and instrumentally use it in their attempts to force policy reforms. By focusing on the public as an active player we explain the special characteristics of political participation that may lead to judicial activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]