Project Director: Dr. Momi Dahan
Over the past few years, economic inequality in Israel has soared to unprecedented level s. Roughly 20% of all Israeli families live in poverty, including 54% of Israeli Arabs, approximately 50% of the Jewish Ultra-Orthodox population, 21.5% of Israeli senior citizens, and 36% of Israeli children. Rising levels of poverty and inequality, combined with the acute ethnic and religious divisions that characterize Israeli society, threaten to weaken social solidarity and could ultimately lead to increased crime rates, social strife and an economic crisis. In addition, the destitution of entire segments of the population raises the likelihood of anti-state, anti-political and anti-law-enforcement sentiments.
IDI’s Social Inequality and Public Policy Research Program aims to introduce feasible policies to resolve some of the most difficult social and economic problems in Israel today. The research focuses on proposals for new reforms, the evaluation of existing programs and groundbreaking ideas to reduce inequality. Among other things, the program addresses novel pricing structures for utilities; government-sponsored employment programs to assist the more vulnerable populations; determinants of financial crises in municipal authorities; the budgetary process; and the role played by interest groups in formulating structural reforms.