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==Critical reception== |
==Critical reception== |
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Jon Rosen from ''[[USA Today]]'' believes that although the book is "written from an unquestionably Israeli perspective and are likely to irk those with reservations about Israeli foreign policy" it still "is an accomplishment, not simply for exposing the roots of Israel's success, but by showing what the Israeli case might teach the rest of the world."<ref name="USA Today"/> In his review written for ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', [[James K. Glassman]] says that "The greatest strength of ''Start-Up Nation'' is not analysis but anecdote. The authors tell vivid stories of entrepreneurial success, such as that of [[Shai Agassi]], the son of an Iraqi immigrant to Israel, with his electric-automobile technology, now in the process of creating 'Car 2.0.'"<ref name=WSJ/> Ciarán Hancock wrote in the ''[[Irish Times]]'' that "The authors argue that Israel benefits from having stable institutions and rule of law that exist in advanced democracies while also having a non-hierarchical culture, where everyone in business belongs to overlapping networks produced by small communities, common army service, geographic proximity and informality."<ref name="Irish Times"/> |
Jon Rosen from ''[[USA Today]]'' believes that although the book is "written from an unquestionably Israeli perspective and are likely to irk those with reservations about Israeli foreign policy" it still "is an accomplishment, not simply for exposing the roots of Israel's success, but by showing what the Israeli case might teach the rest of the world."<ref name="USA Today"/> In his review written for ''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'', [[James K. Glassman]] says that "The greatest strength of ''Start-Up Nation'' is not analysis but anecdote. The authors tell vivid stories of entrepreneurial success, such as that of [[Shai Agassi]], the son of an Iraqi immigrant to Israel, with his electric-automobile technology, now in the process of creating 'Car 2.0.'"<ref name=WSJ/> Ciarán Hancock wrote in the ''[[Irish Times]]'' that "The authors argue that Israel benefits from having stable institutions and rule of law that exist in advanced democracies while also having a non-hierarchical culture, where everyone in business belongs to overlapping networks produced by small communities, common army service, geographic proximity and informality."<ref name="Irish Times"/> |
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Ruth Schuster, writing for ''[[Haaretz]]'', says "It is a pity that the credibility of the subject matter in ''Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle'' can be tarnished by a jarring, tub-thumping patriotism."<ref name=haaretzrev /> Ilene R. Prusher from ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' notes that "critics say that the story behind how a country of 7 million has more Nasdaq-listed companies than Europe is more complex than Singer and Senor paint it to be." <ref name=Monitor/> ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' states that "The authors ground their analysis in case studies and interviews with some of Israel's most brilliant innovators to make this a rich and insightful read not just for business leaders and policy makers but for anyone curious about contemporary Israeli culture."<ref name="Publishers Weekly"/> In ''[[The Economic Times]]'' [[R Gopalakrishnan]] writes that he believes that the [[Hebrew]] expressions used in the book make the book "alive in an eminently-readable."<ref name="The Economic Times"/> Besides ''chutzpah'' the authors use the word ''bitzua'', which basically means "getting things done". Another Hebrew expression used in the book is "Rosh gadol", which could be translated "can-do and responsible attitude with scant respect for the limitations of formal authority". Gopalakrishnan concludes that the ideas demonstrated in the book "are highly relevant for innovation capability in general, but for India, especially at this juncture." <ref name="The Economic Times"/> |
Ruth Schuster, writing for ''[[Haaretz]]'', says "It is a pity that the credibility of the subject matter in ''Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle'' can be tarnished by a jarring, tub-thumping patriotism."<ref name=haaretzrev /> Ilene R. Prusher from ''[[The Christian Science Monitor]]'' notes that "critics say that the story behind how a country of 7 million has more Nasdaq-listed companies than Europe is more complex than Singer and Senor paint it to be." <ref name=Monitor/> ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' states that "The authors ground their analysis in case studies and interviews with some of Israel's most brilliant innovators to make this a rich and insightful read not just for business leaders and policy makers but for anyone curious about contemporary Israeli culture."<ref name="Publishers Weekly"/> In ''[[The Economic Times]]'' [[R Gopalakrishnan]] writes that he believes that the [[Hebrew]] expressions used in the book make the book "alive in an eminently-readable."<ref name="The Economic Times"/> Besides ''chutzpah'' the authors use the word ''bitzua'', which basically means "getting things done". Another Hebrew expression used in the book is "Rosh gadol", which could be translated "can-do and responsible attitude with scant respect for the limitations of formal authority". Gopalakrishnan concludes that the ideas demonstrated in the book "are highly relevant for innovation capability in general, but for India, especially at this juncture." <ref name="The Economic Times"/> |
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Revision as of 18:45, 2 May 2011
| Author | Dan Senor and Saul Singer |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Twelve |
Publication date | November 4, 2009 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 320 |
| ISBN | 9780446541466 |
Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle is a 2009 book by Dan Senor and Saul Singer about the Economy of Israel. It examines the question of how Israel, a 60 year old nation with no natural resources, was able to reach such economic growth that "at the start of 2009, some 63 Israeli companies were listed on the Nasdaq, more than those of any other foreign country".[1]
Start-up Nation reached fifth place on The New York Times Best Seller list and The Wall Street Journal's best seller list for books on business.[2]
The book received mixed reviews, with some reviewers strongly supporting its arguments and statistics and others rejecting or even ridiculing them.
Book overview
A review by the Council on Foreign Relations states that Start-up Nation "addresses the trillion-dollar question" of how Israel, a country that is economically isolated in its region "produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the United Kingdom?"[3] Responding to this question the authors explain that the explanation for Israel's economic success is found in their approach to entrepreneurship. Most Israelis exercise extraordinary boldness, chutzpah, for good or for bad. In other words, "when an Israeli entrepreneur has a business idea, he will start it that week."[3]
The book analyzes three major factors that, in the authors opinion, contribute most to Israel's economic growth. Those factors are immigration, R&D, and mandatory military service.[3]
Discarding "the argument from ethnic or religious exceptionalism, dismissing "unitary Jewishness" or even individual talent as major reasons for Israel's high-tech success", the authors argue that a major factor for Israel's economic growth can be found in the culture of the Israel's military subordination, in which "You have minimal guidance from the top, and are expected to improvise, even if this means breaking some rules. If you're a junior officer, you call your higher-ups by their first names, and if you see them doing something wrong, you say so."[1] Neither ranks nor ages matter much "when taxi drivers can command millionaires and 23-year-olds can train their uncles," and "Israeli forces regularly vote to oust their unit leaders."[4]
The book makes numerous references to immigration and its role in Israel's economics's growth: "immigrants are not averse to start from scratch. They are by definition risk-takers. A nation of immigrants is a nation of entrepreneurs. From survivors of the Holocaust to Soviet refuseniks through the Ethiopian Jews, the State of Israel never ceased to be a land of immigration: 9 out of 10 Jewish Israelis today are immigrants or descendants of immigrants the first or second generation. This specific demographic, causing fragmentation of community that still continues in the country, is nevertheless a great incentive to try their luck, to take risks because immigrants have nothing to lose."[5]
By posting and responding the question about "Israel's economic miracle" the authors contend that "there are lessons in Israel's example that apply not only to other nations, but also to individuals seeking to build a thriving organization."[3]
Using stories and anecdotes, the book describes several of Israel's technological and medical achievements. Some examples are "the Israeli innovations that made possible Google Suggest, the list of suggestions that appear instantly in menu form as you type a search request, the Capsule endoscopy, a miniature camera embedded in a pill so that 18 photos per second can be wirelessly and painlessly transmitted from gastrointestinal tracts."[6]
Critical reception
Jon Rosen from USA Today believes that although the book is "written from an unquestionably Israeli perspective and are likely to irk those with reservations about Israeli foreign policy" it still "is an accomplishment, not simply for exposing the roots of Israel's success, but by showing what the Israeli case might teach the rest of the world."[7] In his review written for The Wall Street Journal, James K. Glassman says that "The greatest strength of Start-Up Nation is not analysis but anecdote. The authors tell vivid stories of entrepreneurial success, such as that of Shai Agassi, the son of an Iraqi immigrant to Israel, with his electric-automobile technology, now in the process of creating 'Car 2.0.'"[1] Ciarán Hancock wrote in the Irish Times that "The authors argue that Israel benefits from having stable institutions and rule of law that exist in advanced democracies while also having a non-hierarchical culture, where everyone in business belongs to overlapping networks produced by small communities, common army service, geographic proximity and informality."[8]
Ruth Schuster, writing for Haaretz, says "It is a pity that the credibility of the subject matter in Start-up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle can be tarnished by a jarring, tub-thumping patriotism."[9] Ilene R. Prusher from The Christian Science Monitor notes that "critics say that the story behind how a country of 7 million has more Nasdaq-listed companies than Europe is more complex than Singer and Senor paint it to be." [10] Publishers Weekly states that "The authors ground their analysis in case studies and interviews with some of Israel's most brilliant innovators to make this a rich and insightful read not just for business leaders and policy makers but for anyone curious about contemporary Israeli culture."[11] In The Economic Times R Gopalakrishnan writes that he believes that the Hebrew expressions used in the book make the book "alive in an eminently-readable."[12] Besides chutzpah the authors use the word bitzua, which basically means "getting things done". Another Hebrew expression used in the book is "Rosh gadol", which could be translated "can-do and responsible attitude with scant respect for the limitations of formal authority". Gopalakrishnan concludes that the ideas demonstrated in the book "are highly relevant for innovation capability in general, but for India, especially at this juncture." [12]
The Economist's review of the book points out that "twenty years ago Harvard Business School’s leading guru, Michael Porter, devoted just one sentence of his 855-page “The Competitive Advantage of Nations” to Israel; today there is a growing pile of books on Israel’s high-tech boom, most notably “Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle.” The reviewer also foresees potential problem for Israel's economic future: "It lies in its failure to assimilate into its business culture both Arab-Israelis and ultra-orthodox Jews, who will together be about one-third of the population by 2025. Only 39% of ultra-Orthodox men and 25% of Arab women are employed."[13]
David Horovitz of The Jerusalem Post says that conclusions made by the authors of Start-up Nation find confirmations in a real world. One example is how "Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords’s life was saved after she was shot in Arizona in January because the emergency medical team applied a revolutionary elasticized bandage. The bandage, which was developed in Israel, "creates pressure to quickly staunch head wounds."[2] Zachary A. Goldfarb from The Washington Post admits that "The book weaves together colorful stories of Israeli technological triumphs" such as the story of Shvat Shaked, who "founded a cybersecurity firm with his old buddy from Army intelligence and had the chutzpah to bet a top executive at PayPal, the online commerce company owned by eBay, that his few dozen engineers could beat PayPal's thousands in developing secure online software."[14] Goldfarb also believes the authors could have done a better job in drawing "straight lines between their theories about Israel's success and these case studies."[14] Maureen Farrell from Forbes wrote that she was disappointed that the authors mostly ignored the effects of U.S. foreign aid. She believes that "the book is worth reading to understand not just Israel's history but the history of capitalism and innovation."[4] Alex Brill writes in The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research that "The book's value extends beyond those interested in the fascinating stories of companies like Intel investing $3.5 billion in Israel so that Israeli engineers could lead the development of the Pentium processors or the fact that Israel has one start-up for every 1844 Israelis, more companies listed on NASDAQ than any country except the U.S. or more venture capital investment as the United Kingdom, a country nine times more populous. The book provides lessons about how to foster and even harness entrepreneurship, innovative energies and hard work for every country. And the book catalogues how Israeli start-ups have shared new innovations that save time, save lives and make work more efficient."[15]
References
- ^ a b c JAMES K. GLASSMAN (November 23, 2009). "Where Tech Keeps Booming In Israel, a clustering of talent, research universities and venture capital." Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
- ^ a b David Horovitz (January 4, 2011). "Israel as Start-up nation". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Start-Up Nation The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle". Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ^ a b Maureen Farrell (November 10, 2009). "Israel As Incubator". Forbes. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
- ^ Steve Nadjari (04/11/2009). "Israël, une nation d'entrepreneurs". inaglobal. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)Template:Fr icon - ^ DOUGLAS J. FEITH (Jan 25, 2010). "Innovation needs more bitzua and chutzpah". The Weekly Standard.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Unknown parameter|no=ignored (help) - ^ Jon Rosen (12/23/2009). "Israel offers fertile soil for entrepreneurs, book says". USA Today. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Ciarán Hancock (12/23/2009). "How seven million people surrounded by enemies created innovation magic". Irish Times. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ Schuster, Ruth (8 November 2009). "The Israel Effect". Haaretz.
- ^ Ilene R. Prusher (March 9, 2010). "Innovation center? How Israel became a 'Start-Up Nation.'". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ^ "Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle". Publishers Weekly. September 7, 2009. p. 36.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ a b R Gopalakrishnan (Dec 6, 2010). "Israel's Secret The 'informal . . . improvisational' approach to business innovation". The Economic Times. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
- ^ Schumpeter (Dec 29th 2010). "Beyond the start-up nation Israel has become a high-tech superpower over the past two decades.Can the good news last?". The Economist. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b Zachary A. Goldfarb (January 31, 2010). "Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel's Economic Miracle". The Washington Post.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Alex Brill (January 28, 2010). "Book Review: Start-up Nation". American Enterprise Institute. Retrieved April 4, 2011.