Reducing dependence on oil? How policy entrepreneurs utilize the national security agenda to recruit government support: The case of electric transportation in Israel

Policy entrepreneurs are individuals who exploit an opportunity in order to influence political results for their own benefit. We use the policy entrepreneurship literature as a theoretical lens for understanding how local players in the policy arena can use a national security agenda in order to promote an energy policy they desire. Using a case study approach, we explain how an Israeli electric vehicle company, Better Place, identified Israel's acute national security priority to cut its dependence on oil and leveraged it, along with environmental arguments, to make the case for their approach to transportation. Our analysis also demonstrates how policy entrepreneurs collaborate with Israeli bureaucrats, senior politicians and lobbying groups to create a national shift toward electric cars.

► We define policy entrepreneurs and describe their main characteristics.
► We suggest several theoretical insights into how policy entrepreneurs utilize the national security agenda to recruit government support for their own projects.
► We examine our theoretical insights using the case study of an Israeli company building an infrastructure for electric vehicles.