Domestic regulation of retail food distribution services in Israel: the missing link between food prices and social protest

This chapter provides a case study tracing the impact of domestic regulation on market structure in the retail distribution services sector and its ultimate effects on consumer food prices. Taking Israel, a small and relatively liberalized Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) economy, as an example, our research investigates whether market concentration and the absence of international competition can be attributed to domestic regulation. We place this discussion in the context of recent consumer-led social protest against the rising cost of food in Israel.