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  • June 2016
  • Teaching Note
  • HBS Case Collection

The Cheese and the Oligarchs: The Politics, the Media, and Israel's Dream of a Start-Up Nation

By: Rafael Di Tella and Christine Snively
  • Format:Print
  • | Language:English
  • | Pages:16
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Abstract

Israel enjoyed the highest concentration of technology start-ups in the world per capita. Despite regional instability, the country maintained strong economic growth and was considered a high-tech powerhouse. But not all Israelis benefited. Between the 1980s and 2010s, income distribution had widened. By 2015, 20 business groups—nearly all family-owned—controlled one in four listed companies through corporate pyramids. Public anger over the high cost of living, which many believed was due to a lack of competition, led to a series of protests. Some academics and members of the Knesset (Parliament) called for reforms to limit the activities of corporate pyramids. Teaching Note for 716-060.

Keywords

Entrepreneurship; Information Technology; Business Conglomerates; Business Startups; Israel

Citation

Di Tella, Rafael, and Christine Snively. "The Cheese and the Oligarchs: The Politics, the Media, and Israel's Dream of a Start-Up Nation." Harvard Business School Teaching Note 716-075, June 2016.
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About The Author

Rafael M. Di Tella

Business, Government and the International Economy
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  • KaBoom! Play at Scale By: V. Kasturi Rangan, Sarah Appleby and Christine Snively
  • Keep Your Enemies Closer: Strategic Platform Adjustments during U.S. and French Elections By: Rafael Di Tella, Randy Kotti, Caroline Le Pennec and Vincent Pons
  • The Trouble with TCE By: Vincent Pons and Rafael Di Tella
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