Eli Hurvitz Conference on Economics and Society for 2021 The Israel Democracy Institute

Conference Program

Eli Hurvitz Conference on Economy & Society

June 29th
June 30th

8:45-09:30 am

Gathering

Materials

9:30 | Greetings

Yohanan Plesner

President, the Israel Democracy Institute

Avigdor Liberman, Minister of Finance

Morning Session 10:00 - 12:40 AM

The Macroeconomic Priorities of the New Government

9:50 | Opening Remarks

Conference Co-Chair, Prof. Eugene Kandel

Co-Chair of Start-Up Nation Central Economic Research and Policy Institute; Hebrew University

Anticipated Priorities

Dr. Ron Tomer

President, Manufacturers Association of Israel

Dubi Amitai

Chair, Presidium of Israeli Business Organizations

Arnon Ben David

Chair, Histadrut - General Federation of Labor

Ron Barkai

CEO, The Israeli Civic Leadership Association

10:45-11:15 am | Break

Prof. Michel Strawczynski

Director of Research Department, Bank of Israel

Yael Mevorach

Director General, Ministry for Social Equality

Moshe Bar-Siman-Tov

Former Director General, Ministry of Health

Prof. Joseph Zeira

Department of Economics, Hebrew University

Dr. Michael Sarel

Head, The Kohelet Economic Forum

Towards a State Budget: Needs vs. Constraints

Yahli Rotenberg

Accountant General, Ministry of Finance

Yogev Gradus

Acting Director, Ministry of Finance Budget Department

Open Discussion

Prof. Nathan Zussman

Israel Democracy Institute and the Graduate Institute, Geneva

Dr. Ori Sharon

Deputy Director, Israel Society of Ecology and Environmental Sciences

MK Yaakov Margi (Shas Party)

Chair, Knesset Finance Committee

12:30 | Session Summary

Prof. Karnit Flug

Vice-President for Research, William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy, IDI; Hebrew University; Former Governor of the Bank of Israel

12:40 | Address by the Governor of the Bank of Israel, Prof. Amir Yaron

1:00-2:00 pm | Lunch

Afternoon Session 2:00-3:40 pm

Expanding the Concept of Innovation

Opening Remarks

Session Chair: Michal Fink

Deputy Director General for Strategy and Policy Planning, Ministry of t Economy and Industry

Orna Barbivai, Minister of Economy and Industry

Expanding the Concept of Innovation in the Israeli Economy

Dr. Ami Appelbaum

Chief Scientist & Chairman of the Board, Israel Innovation Authority

Assaf Wasserzug

Deputy Head, Budget Division, Ministry of Finance

Shlomo Atias

Director, The Authority for Investments and Development, Ministry of Economy and Industry

Dr. Shmuel Abramson

Senior Deputy to Chief Economist, Ministry of Finance

Dr. Adi Brender

Head, Macroeconomic and Policy Division, Bank of Israel

Prof. Zvi Eckstein

Head, Aaron Institute for Economic Policy, The Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya

Adv. Oded Spirer

Director General, Israel Securities Authority

Perceptions of Innovation: Insights from the Field

Itzik Avercohen

CEO, Shufersal

Israela Mani

Deputy Director General of Economics and Tax, Israeli Chamber of Commerce

Shmulik Blumenfeld

Owner & CEO, Bonsai Wood Ltd.

Tami Warshavski

Founder and Director, Creative Nation; Israeli Representative to EU Innovative Economy Program

Summary

Michal Fink

Deputy Director General for Strategy and Policy Planning, Ministry of Economy and Industry

Open Discussion

3:40 | Break

Afternoon Session 4:00-7:00 pm

Formulating Climate Policy: The Private and Public Sectors Join Forces

Opening Remarks: Session Chair: Daphna Aviram-Nitzan

Director, IDI Center for Governance and the Economy

Israel Contends With The Climate Crisis

Orna Barbivai, Minister of Economy and Industry

Meirav Michaeli, Minister of Transportation and Road Safety

Karine Elharrar, Minister of Energy

Tamar Zandberg, Minister of Environmental Protection

Policy Tools For Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy

Dr. Gil Proaktor

Director of Energy and Climate Change, Ministry of Environmental Protection

Impact Investments: An Engine for a Low Carbon Economy

Sir Ronald Cohen

Chairman, Global Steering Group for Impact Investment

The Private Sector: Preparing for Climate Change

Danna Azrieli

Chair, Azrieli Group

Gabriel Miodownik

President & CEO, Netafim

Adv. Shelly Dvir

Deputy CEO, Business Roundtable, Israel

Zafrir Yoeli

VP Business Development &Co-founder, Enlight

Nitzan Moshe

Executive Vice President, ICL

Tzvika David

Vice President, Israel Builders Association; Owner, Benny & Tzvika

Tax Implication of the Climate Crisis

Eran Yaacov

Director, The Israel Tax Authority

Ministry Director Generals Summarize:

Udi Adiri

Director General, Ministry of Energy

Galit Cohen

Director General, Ministry of Environmental Protection

David Leffler

Director General, Ministry of Economy and Industry

Dalit Zilber

Director General, Planning Administration

Open Discussion

Evening Session (to be held in English) 7:30-8:30 pm (12:30-1:30 pm EST)

Israel's Macroeconomic Challenges in the Post-COVID World

Session Chair: Yohanan Plesner

President, IDI

Conversation between

Prof. Karnit Flug

Vice President for Research & William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy, IDI; Former Governor of the Bank of Israel

Prof. Eugene Kandel

Co-Chair of Start-Up Nation Central Economic Research and Policy Institute; former Chair of the Prime Minister's National Economic Council

Paul Singer

Founder, President, Co-Chief Executive Officer, and Co-Chief Investment Officer of Elliott Investment Management L.P.

Morning Session 9:30 am – 1:00 pm

The Labor Market in the Post-COVID Era

Opening Remarks: Conference Co-Chair and Session Chair: Prof. Karnit Flug

Vice-President for Research, William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy, IDI; Hebrew University; Former Governor of the Bank of Israel

Meirav Cohen, Minister of Social Equality

Remaking the Post-COVID World

Prof. Daron Acemoglu

Department of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Shira Greenberg

Chief Economist, Ministry of Finance

IDI Experts Present:

Ultra-Orthodox Households: Can a Few Support the Many? | Dr. Gilad Malach

Director, Ultra-Orthodox in Israel Program

Arab Israeli Society – Challenges & Opportunities | Dr. Nasreen Haddad Haj-Yahya

Director, Arab Society in Israel Program

Employment for Seniors | Prof. Yotam Margalit

Senior Fellow, Labor Market Reform Program, IDI; Tel Aviv University

Return to Work among Different Sectors of Society | Itamar Yakir

Researcher, Center for Governance and the Economy, IDI

Voices from the Field

Rinat Lahana

VP of HR & Communications, Sodexo

Elie Cohen

CEO, Termokir Ltd.; Chair, Labor Committee, Manufacturers Association of Israel

Amnon Merhav

CEO, The Israel Builders Association

Yam Atir

Head, Government and External Relations, National Union of Israeli Students

Promoting Vocational Training

Stipends and Vocational Training | Dr. Sagit Azari Weisel and Dr. Yael Meltzer

Researchers, IDI

Dr. Iris Nehemia

Chairman, Employment & Training, Ministry of Finance

Nitzan Mimrod

Director, Bureau, Vocational Training and Manpower Development, Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, & Social Services

Orna Segal

Head, Employment Association, Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services

Open Discussion: The Labor Market – the Day After

Moderator: Prof. Karnit Flug

Vice-President for Research, William Davidson Senior Fellow for Economic Policy, IDI

Rami Garor

Director General, Israel Employment Service

Tair Ifergan

Interim Head Labor Market, Ministry of Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services

Nitza (Kliner) Kasir

Deputy Director General, Research and Planning, National Insurance Institute of Israel

Liron Hentz

Deputy Director, General Strategy, Ministry for Social Equality

Itzik Daniel

Head, Labor Market Sector at Budget Division, Ministry of Finance

Tali Nir

CEO, Engine for Social Change - 121

Open Discussion

12:40 | Raising Productivity in the Public Sector

Kobi Bar-Nathan

Director, Salary and Employment Agreements, Ministry of Finance

Adv. Gil Bar-Tal

Chair, Histadrut Hamaof, General Federation of Labor

1:00-2:10 pm | Lunch

Afternoon Session 2:10-2:30 pm

Government Progress in Reducing the Bureaucratic Burden on Businesses

Streamlining Regulation: Cutting Down the Time it Takes to Open Factories in Israel

Ruth Schwartz-Hanoch

Deputy Director General for Regulation, Planning Authority

Amichai Fischer

Senior Division Head, Regulation Policy, Prime Minister's Office

Oz Katz

Deputy General Manager Industries, Ministry of Economy and Industry

Characterizing the Digital Portal for Businesses: The Private and Public Sectors Working Hand-in-Hand

Yair Frank

Project Manager, Program on Streamlining Regulation and Easing the Bureaucratic Burden, IDI

Afternoon Session 2:30-4:00 pm

The Education System: Lessons Learned in the Wake of COVID

Opening Remarks: Session Chair: Eli Hurvitz

Executive Director, The Trump Foundation

Dr. Yifat Shasha-Bitton, Minister of Education

Education Post-COVID – Lessons from around the World

Prof. Andreas Schleicher

OECD Education Directorate

Update and Framework for the Discussion

Dr. Shimshon Shoshani

Former Director General, Ministry of Education

The Education System the Day After – Recommendations and Lessons Learned

Chair: Eli Hurvitz

Lior Kotler

Head, Education Division, Ministry of Finance

Dr. Miri Shlisel

Chair, Pedagogical Secretariat, Ministry of Education

Abdullah Khatib,

Senior Director, Arab Education Department, Ministry of Education

Aviv Kenan

Head, Education Division, Jerusalem Municipality

Voices from The Field

Teachers Union

Dadi Perlmutter

Social & Technological Entrepreneur

Yuval Godkar

Chair, National Students Council

Merom Schiff

Chair, National Parents Association

Moshe Bechar

Senior Deputy Director, Israel Ministry of Finance

Open Discussion

4:00 pm | Break

4:30-5:30 pm

Governance and Government Stability – Prerequisites for Growth and Prosperity

Opening Remarks: Session Chair: Yohanan Plesner

President, the Israel Democracy Institute