LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Introduction
Local government is crucial to Israeli politics and the fabric of civic society. It is locally that the nation's children are educated, the environment is damaged or protected, health and social welfare services are provided, and the political and civil leaders of the future emerge. Despite the importance of local government, it has not received sufficient academic or public policy attention.
Israeli local government needs a radical overhaul of its policies and practices. In an effort to aid the improvement of local governance, the Hartog School aspires to develop a local government unit. The proposed unit will aim to encourage applied research on key issues in local governance.
Local Government Conference
In order to promote a public policy debate on local governance, the School has pioneered an annual national conference on local government issues. The conference, which in 2006 attracted 1,000 participants, has become a flagship Hartog School event.
This annual event provides a unique meeting ground for local government leaders and professionals, government ministers and legislators, senor civil servants, NGO and civil society leaders and academics. In the build up to the conference, the School administers numerous working groups, each of which explores one pressing policy matter, and prepares policy papers on this subject to be debated at the two-day conference.
The theme of the 2007 conference is
"Innovation in Local Government"
The theme of the 2006 conference was "From Dependence to Independence"
The theme of the 2005 conference was "New Horizons for Local Government"
An important part of the conference is the participation of international guests. In 2005 the visiting contingent included six experts. In 2006 this number grew to ten. ( click here for experts' profiles).
The conference is a joint venture of the School, the National Union of Local Authorities, Local Government Economic Services the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews It is also supported by Mifal Hapayis (The National Lottery), the Pears Foundation (London), the Los Angeles Jewish Federation and the Centre for the Empowerment of Citizens in Israel (CECI), the British Council and corporate sponsorships.
The conference is a joint venture of the School, the National Union of Local Authorities, Local Government Economic Services and Mifal Hapayis (The National Lottery).
Conference preparations are coordinated by
Ms. Rikki Sprinzak
with the assistance of
Oriana Almasi and
, Michal Volanksi.
In November 2006 the School hosted a one-day workshop, entitled, "The Readiness of the Home Front in a State of Emergency", which dealt with pertinent matters arising out of the second Lebanon War. Participants included high-ranking central and local government officials, along with senior figures from the Israeli Defense and Security establishment.
Research and Teaching
The proposed unit will promote research into local government policy and reforms. In addition to degree programs the proposed unit will also conduct executive training programs for local government professionals. The School has already jointly administered tailor-made programs with the Ministry of Interior's network of training centers.
About Us