Taub Center » Featured Publication

State of the Nation Report – Society, Economy and Policy 2010

Dan Ben-David — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:40:04 +0000

The Taub Center’s State of the Nation Report discusses the connection between society, the economy and policy in Israel. Too often, public discourse and policy making are driven by preconceptions and gut feelings rather than facts. The purpose of this report is to provide an extensive factual, professional and impartial foundation to be used by the public and by policy leaders to understand where we were, where we are, where trends are leading us, what they mean, and how policy can change the reality even when it feels like force majeure.

Table of contents:

Foreword, Dan Ben-David
A Macro Perspective, Eran Yashiv
Public Spending in Israel over the Long Run, Dan Ben-David
Income Inequality in Israel, Ayal Kimhi
Working and Poor, Haya Stier
Welfare and Employment Among Single Mothers – Israel from a Comparative Perspective, Haya Stier
Developments in Israel’s Education System, Nachum Blass
Education Reform and Narrowing Educational Gaps in Israel, Yossi Shavit and Vicki Bronstein
The Demographic Cost – Birth Rates and Achievement on International Tests, Yariv Feniger and Yossi Shavit
School Discipline and Scholastic Achievement in Israel, Yossi Shavit and Carmel Blank
Israel’s Educational Achievements – Updated International Comparisons, Dan Ben-David
Israel’s Healthcare System, Dov Chernichovsky
The 2010 Social Survey, Dalit Nachshon-Sharon and Nachum Blass

State of the Nation Report – Society, Economy and Policy 2009

Dan Ben-David — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 05:43:28 +0000

The Taub Center’s State of the Nation Report discusses the connection between society, the economy and policy in Israel. Too often, public discourse and policy making are driven by preconceptions and gut feelings than facts. The purpose of this report is to provide an extensive factual, professional and impartial foundation to be used by the public and its leaders to understand where we were, where we are, where trends are leading us, what they mean, and how policy can change the reality even when it feels like force majeure.

Table of Contents:

A Macro Perspective of Israel’s Society and Economy, Dan Ben-David
Public Expenditures – A Look at Israel’s National Priorities, Dan Ben-David
Israel’s Education System – An International Perspective and Recommendations for Reform, Dan Ben-David
Israel’s Education System – A Domestic Perspective, Nachum Blass
Israel’s Labor Market – Today, in the Past and in Comparison to the West, Dan Ben-David
The Social Security System, John Gal
Personal Social Services, John Gal
The Healthcare System, Dov Chernichovksy
The 2009 Social Survey, Nachum Blass and Dalit Nachshon-Sharon

Inequality in Education: Israel 2009 – The Way It Is

Nachum Blass — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 12:12:43 +0000

The gaps between the weaker pupils and the stronger ones and between Jewish and Arab pupils are still large and unacceptable from a social and ethical perspective and are critical from an economic standpoint. The advantages of Jewish sector education are especially notable in participation in pre-school education, high school education and higher education levels.

However, over the years there has been a continual narrowing of gaps in the various educational inputs. This includes reducing the gaps in direct financial resources invested in the educational systems that serve students from different socio-economic backgrounds and improving the quality of manpower, as well as in outputs, as expressed in learning rates as well as qualifications for matriculation.

The criticisms regarding the inequalities in education that still remain should not negate the positive steps and achievements of affirmative action. Along with this, the advancement of weaker groups occurred while the stronger groups continued to improve their situation, especially in the areas where learning rates have not yet reached their full potential. This is similar to what has happened in the majority of the Western countries.