2026 Conference

The Economic Challenges Facing Israel in the Years Ahead

2026 Conference

The Aaron Institute Conference, held on April 28–29 under the theme “The Economic Challenges Facing Israel in the Years Ahead,” brought together the 2024 and 2025 Nobel Memorial Prize laureates in Economic Sciences, policymakers from the public sector, leading business executives, and prominent economists from Israel and around the world.

Conference Policy Papers (Hebrew) Opening Evening Recording Conference Recording Event photos Media Coverage

Conference Topics


  • What are the growth drivers of the 2027 budget and beyond?
  • Do the defense expenditures pose a threat to Israel’s economy and society?
  • The cost of living in Israel: market failure or lack of government policy?

  • Third-world public transportation and high housing prices: what is the solution?
  • Will Israel’s culture of innovation overcome the threats facing the high-tech sector?
  • What are the required measures to ensure the continued economic growth of the Arab society?

 

 

To view the speakers’ presentations, please click on the links attached to the lecture titles (all materials are in Hebrew).

 


Opening Evening Program | April 28, 2026


17:30 Registration and Dinner
18:30 Welcome Reception
Yael Andorn, Former Director General of the Ministry of Finance; Israel Representative, Lexington Partners
18:33 Opening Remarks
Prof. Boaz Ganor, President, Reichman University
18:40 Prof. Daron Acemoglu, MIT Institute Professor, 2024 Nobel Memorial Prize Laureate in Economic Sciences
In conversation with Prof. Martin Eichenbaum, Northwestern University
"The Economic and Social Impact of AI and Liberal Democracy"
19:15 Prof. Amir Yaron, Governor of the Bank of Israel
"Israel’s Economy Through the Lens of the War"

19:45 Shlomo Dovrat, Founder and General Partner, Viola Group; Chairman of the Board, Aaron Institute for Economic Policy
"The AI Revolution - Risks and Opportunities"

20:05 Prof. Zvi Eckstein, Head, Aaron Institute for Economic Policy, Reichman University, and Dr. Marian Tehawkho, Head, Center for Arab Society Economic Policy, Aaron Institute for Economic Policy, Reichman University
"The Aaron Institute’s Impact"

20:15 Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Gabi Ashkenazi, Former Chief of the General Staff and Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Security and Geopolitical Overview"
20:30 Closing Remarks
Yael Andorn, Israel Representative, Lexington Partners; Former Director General of the Ministry of Finance

Conference Program | April 29, 2026

 


08:45 Registration and Refreshments
Session 1 | Growth-Supporting Policies Following a Prolonged Conflict
Chair: Dr. Hila Axelrad, Senior Research Fellow, Aaron Institute for Economic Policy, Reichman University
09:15 Prof. Zvi Eckstein
"Growth-Supporting Policies in the Context of a Prolonged War"

09:35 Tamar Levy Bona, Deputy Director of Budgets for Macroeconomic Affairs, Ministry of Finance
"The Trilemma of the Israeli Economy"

09:50 Responses
Yarom Ariav, Former Director General, Ministry of Finance
Samer Haj-Yehia, Former Chairman, Bank Leumi; Chairman of Growth Technology Companies
10:05 Prof. Udi Nisan, Federmann School of Public Policy, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
"Changing the Rules of the Welfare State"

10:15 Yogev Gradus, Former Director of Budgets, Ministry of Finance; Yossi Bachar Fellow, JDC-ELKA
"The Economic Importance of Strengthening Human Capital Management in the Public Sector"

Nobel Prize Lecture in Economic Sciences 2025
Chair: Prof. Zvi Eckstein
10:30 Prof. Joel Mokyr, Northwestern University; 2025 Nobel Memorial Prize Laureate in Economic Sciences
"Innovation: Past and Future"

11:15 Coffee Break (25 minutes)

Session 2 | Innovation Culture as a Growth Engine
Chair: Dr. Hila Axelrad
11:45 Dr. Sergey Sumkin, Senior Research Fellow, Aaron Institute for Economic Policy, Reichman University
"Innovation Culture as a Growth Engine"

11:55 Responses
Dror Bin, CEO, Israel Innovation Authority
View presentation

Ronen Nir, Partner, PSG Equity; Board Member, Aaron Institute for Economic Policy
View presentation

 

Session 3 | Arab Society as a Driver of Cohesion and Growth
Chair: Dr. Hila Axelrad
12:10 Dr. Marian Tehawkho
"Arab Society as a Growth Engine: Educational and Employment Targets and the Path to Achieving Them"

12:20 Responses

Neta Bar-Ziv, Employment Coordinator, Budget Department, Ministry of Finance
Salima Mustafa Suleiman, Head of Local Authorities Division, Authority for the Economic Development of Minority Sectors
Imad Telhami, Founder and Chairman, Babcom Centers
Lior Shilat, CEO, JDC-Tevet

 

Session 4 | Reducing the Cost of Living as a Driver of Welfare
Chair: Dr. Hila Axelrad
12:50 Dr. Sarit Menahem-Carmi, Senior Research Fellow, Aaron Institute for Economic Policy, Reichman University
"A Strategy for Reducing the Cost of Living"

13:15 Panel Discussion
"Cost of Living: Market Failures or Policy Failures?"
Moderator: Michal Halperin, Social Entrepreneur; Director at Bank Hapoalim; Former Director General of the Israel Competition Authority
Participants:
Shai Babad, CEO of Strauss Group; Former Director General, Ministry of Finance
Asahel Tzur, Economy and Agriculture Coordinator, Budget Department, Ministry of Finance
Amit Ze'ev, CEO and Owner, SPAR Israel
13:30 Responses
Shachar Turgeman, President, Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce
Yoel Baris, Head of the Regulatory Authority, Prime Minister’s Office

13:45 Conference Summary: Ari Strasberg, CEO, Aaron Institute for Economic Policy, Reichman University
13:55 Closing Remarks and Acknowledgments: Dr. Hila Axelrad
14:00 Lunch Reception