The rehabilitation of the mentally disabled in the community act in Israel: Entrepreneurship, leadership, and capitalizing on opportunities in policy making.

This paper examines the role of policy entrepreneurs in the formation of a rehabilitation program in the field of mental health in Israel, shedding light on their role in general and specifically in mental health policy formation. Our research is based on a historical case study. The legislation process was examined through interviews with key actors in the legislative process and archival materials. While in general our findings reinforced existing literature, our research also revealed new information on several topics: organizations as policy entrepreneurs; inter-sectorial coalitions of entrepreneurs; and possible problems arising from the concept of 'leadership by example'.