zoltana kluger; other name of photographer
equality • social responsibility • good governance
strengthening israel’s democracy
On
the morning of 14 May 1948, clandestine messengers were dispersed along the shores of the southern Mediterranean to deliver a top-secret invitation. At four o’clock that afternoon, in front of beaming crowds, high pitched speakers piped the news: the State of Israel was being declared.
is also the only democracy in the Middle East, a region of the world governed entirely by authoritarian regimes. Its successes are so widely recognized that, on September 2010, Israel was made a member of the OECD nations– a group of the world’s foremost economically and politically sound countries. This achievement truly benchmarks Israel’s success as a country.
Nearly a century earlier, the American novelist Mark Twain dubbed Palestine a “desolate wasteland.” Yet, within sixty-three years of its existence, Israel has defended itself against numerous existential threats and blossomed into a country continuously leaving its imprint on the world stage.
Yet, challenges still exist. Much of these challenges lie within the realm of civil society. In terms of corruption, Israel ranks as one of the “most corrupt” countries of all the OECD countries. It is second only to Italy. Israel’s government is the most fragile compared to every other democracy in the world, sixty-five percent below the average. Accountability and transparency also dwindle far behind the other democratic countries.
photo: hans pinn
1947
In spite of its arid lands and limited natural resources, Israel has developed innovative agricultural techniques and is currently one of the most self-sufficient countries in the world. Nicknamed “Silicon-Wadi” Israel’s high-tech industry is world renowned, considered second in importance only to Silicon Valley in the United States. The Intel chip and cellular phone were developed in Israel. Israel
After decades of fighting for its survival, defending its borders, and developing its land, Israel’s most immediate task it to develop its civil society -- to strengthen its democracy to the highest international standards, and even exceed them. It is these goals that Israelis are working towards. These goals are the current phase of Israel’s development.
“israel is one of the few oecd member countries whose government has not developed a specific institutional structure for regulatory management. israel has no central body that advises, oversees, promotes, or coordinates reform. this goes along with the lack of a comprehensive policy on regulatory management in israel.�
2%
-oecd better life initiative report, 2011
oecd governance index info here... omniend eliquun testrunt et es eum faci torempo rernat. et aliquat ustrum ex explatio totam asimus alibusciam qui aut andundunt magnisquibus molorpore dolo officiis et idi cum faccaborum mo volupta tibusda serectur sum inimpos ipienditae plitatus
3-4%
luxembourg slovak republic switzerland portugal
4-5%
chile czech repuplic germany france mexico japan hungary italy greece poland
5-6%
iceland netherlands spain turkey canada ireland belgium slovenia korea
6-6.5%
2%
3%
4%
5%
6%
7%
8%
9%
10%
israel estonia
8-9% 9-10%
austria norway united kingdom finland denmark new zealand united states sweden australia
netanya(above) haifa(below) photo: name and a name
million-man march/ tel aviv, photo: name and a name
2011
“Don’t accept standards in Israel that you wouldn’t accept in your own country” -uriel reichman
Founder & President of The IDC Herzliya
In 2003, Prof. Nachmias pioneered the annual Israel Democracy Index— the first and only index geared solely towards measuring the efficacy of democracy in Israel. Books and articles were also published. Research teams comprised of world renowned authorities were also established. In 2010, the first ever Local Governance Conference was organized. The participants of the conference included Shimon Peres, President of Israel, as well as every mayor. The theme was planning for the future city in Israel. The project was so successful that in 2010 it was commissioned to monitor the Local Authorities Bill–– a groundbreaking and promising bill recently passed by the Israeli Knesset. The bill was inspired
in part, by the work of Nachmias and his team of researchers. Within ten short years, the Re-Inventing Governance Institute had left its imprint on Israeli society: it made significant progress towards strengthening governance in Israel. Yet in spite of the great success of the Strengthening Israel Project, it became clear that research and publications were not enough to strengthen governance in Israel by themselves. The strength of any democracy is commonly measured by its ability to represent the rights of every citizen. Democracy is a government of the poeple, for the people, and by the people. Democratic reform in Israel must include the voices of the Israeli people. Consequently, the idea to form an institute for civil society, an institute to involve and engage the citizens in Israel, was launched. The Israel Institute for Civil Society is the only institute in Israel solely dedicated to civil society. Israeli citizens are essential to sound democratic reform.
photo: name goes here
The
Israel Institute for Civil Society (IICS) was launched out of the many successes of the Re-Inventing Governance In Israel Project, a project that was led by David Nachmias, a prominent Israel authority in governance, public policy and democracy. The primary aim of the project was to strengthen governance in Israel. Many successful initiatives were launched and completed to achieve this end.
Directors
Our Dedicated Team of Fellows david nachmias
Chairman & Founder
shay david
Chief Operations Officer (COO) & Founder micha staszewski
Director Designate & Founder michael sussman
Director & Founder
David Nachmias is one of Israel’s foremost experts in Public Administration and Public Policy. He is currently the chair of the Public Policy & Administration department at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. He holds the position of Senior Fellow Emeritus at the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), as well as the Romulo Betancourt Chair in Political Science at Tel Aviv University. Throughout his extensive career, Prof. Nachmias has headed a number of leading research institutions in Israel and the United States, and taught at many of the world’s leading universities including Harvard. Nachmias’ outstanding research has won him numerous prestigious grants and international awards, including the Donald Campbell Award for Methodological Innovations in Policy Studies, and in 2010 he was awarded the Lifetime Signal from the Israeli Association of Political Science.
Senior Fellows
Professor David Nachmias
Professor Uriel Reichman
As the primary founder of the IICS, Prof. Nachmias is ecstatic about leading Israel’s first research center for civil society, and tackling some of the primary challenges facing the young Israeli democracy.
There are few Israelis who have committed themselves as much to the successful development of Israel as Uriel Reichman. Indeed, the myriad of accomplishments he has achieved throughout his extensive career as an academic and as a politician are difficult to summarize in a few short lines: he has served as the Dean of the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University, Dean of Ramot Mishpat Collage, and is the founder and president of the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya–– Israel’s premier and leading institution for higher education. Reichman is also the founder and former head of the Shinui party in Israel, and he served as a member of Knesset for Ariel Sharon’s Kadema Party. However, Prof. Reichman’s career is better described as a “professional Israeli”–– an individual who has dedicated his life to the betterment of the State of Israel. In fact, ‘Uriel Reichman’ is a name associated generally associated with positive social development. There may not be a public figure with as much integrity as Prof. Reichman. We at the IICS are honored to have him be part of our dedicated team of fellows.
Professor/MK Amnon Rubenstein
Professor Moshe Barniv
Doctor Maoz Rosenthal
Fellows If there is one individual who comes close to matching Uriel Reichman’s dedication and integrity to the State of Israel, it is Prof. Amnon Rubenstein. Rubenstein, a scholar of law, a politician, and a columnist, is one of Israel’s most favored public figures. Between 1977 and 2002 he served as a Member of Knesset, where he held a number of key ministerial positions including Minister of Education, as well as Minister of Energy and Infrastructure. He is currently dean of the Interdisciplinary Center, and a patron of Liberal International. Rubenstein is one of Israel’s current movers and shakers, taking many actions to help the State of Israel develop and prosper. As well as acting as a senior fellow at the IICS, Prof./MK Rubenstein will head the Israeli Constitution Program.
Prof. Moshe Barniv currently serves as Dean of the Radzyner School of Law at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. Barniv has held a number of teaching positions at leading universities in Israel and abroad, including.... He also served as a partner in one of Israel’s most reputable law firms, was a member of the TASE Board of Directors, a member of the board celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the State of Israel, and was the subcommittee chairman of the Law Committee of the Knesset Active Forum Users. Barniv’s extensive career in both the public and private sectors lends many insights to the IICS.
Doctor Michael Widlanski
Professor Gerhard Preyer
Doctor Seth Julian Frantzman Dr. Maoz Rosenthal is emerging as one of Israel’s great political scientists. His research combines qualitative analysis, and looks at issues pertinent to government and civil society–– particularly public bureaucracies, electoral systems, government coalitions, and political parties. Dr. Rosenthal currently serves as a full-time faculty member at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, and is being sought out by many leading universities around the world. As a young, up-and-coming Israeli scholar, Dr. Roesnthal offers fresh new insights to the IICS. As a superb quantitative analysist, Rosenthal will co-chair the “Israeli Wellness Index,” a one-of a-kind index, which measures the degree to which Israel’s democracy benefits citizens, and is modeled after the widely used European “Wellness Indices.”
Dr. Michael Widlanski is one of Israel’s great Arabists and Scholars of the Middle East and Islam, his specialization being Arab Media. In 2000, he coined a number of terms pertaining to rhetorical techniques commonly used in public oration throughout the Arab world, and frequently appears on television and radio news as an expert in Middle Eastern Affairs. Dr. Widlanski, who spends hours following media throughout the Middle East, is primarily concerned with the rights of Arab citizens. Michael is currently a professor of Arab affairs at the international school at Hebrew University, and has taught a Media in the Arab world and at many leading universities in the United States(such as?). Widlanski is one of our most enthusiastic fellows and will serve as the Senior Editor of the Journal for Civil Society in the Middle East.
Dr. Frantzman is one of our young-and-upcoming scholars at the IICS, and has recently completed his Ph.D at the Hebrew University. Dr. Frantzman specializes in the political geography of Israel and provides insights into some of the country’s most pressing geo-political issues. He writes a weekly column in the Jerusalem Post, has written numerous academic articles, and will serve as a senior managing editor of the Journal for Civil Society in the Middle East.
Honorary Fellows
Visiting Fellows Honorable Wes McLean
Each year, the IICS honors a few outstanding individuals who have made great efforts to the development of civil society in Israel and/or abroad. At the IICS, we believe in democracy. The process through which the candidates are nominated is through elections by all of the primary stakeholders of the center – the directorship, fellows, and principal donors who form our board of governors. This year, through our democratic election process, the three? candidates for honorary fellowships are:
Wes Mclean is currently a Member of the Legislative Assembly in New Brunswick, Canada, Deputy Government House Leader, and Legislative Secretary to the Premier (Citizen Engagement). Wes, 30, is one of Canada’s young and upcoming politicians. Prior to his current position as MLA in New Brunswick, Wes served as … In Canadian political circles, Wes is commonly referred to as a “libertarian.” This year, Wes will be the principal Canadian counterpart in organizing the Canada-Israel conference for Good Governance at the IICS. Simone Veil
Doctor Mitchell Bard
Mitchell Geoffrey Bard is an American foreign policy analyst, editor and author who specializes in U.S.-Middle East policy. He is the Executive Director of the non-profit American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE), and the director of the Jewish Virtual Library. Bard has written and edited over a dozen books, and his work has been published in academic journals and major newspapers. Bard is a former editor of the Near East Report, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (“AIPAC”) weekly newsletter on U.S.-Middle East policy. Before working for the AIPAC, he was a polling analyst for the George (H.W.) Bush for President Survey Research Group during the 1988 presidential election. He has been interviewed on Fox News, MSNBC, NBC, AlJazeera, The Jenny Jones Show and other media outlets. Bard brings his political and organizational expertise to the IICS to assist it in its operation. He will also lend his knowledge in publishing to help facilitate the publications that come out of the institute.
Senator Joseph Lieberman
Viel, a survivor from the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp where she lost part of her family, has led a extraordinary life working towards the development of civil society, good governance, and a strong rule of law. Throughout her extensive career in the public and private sector she has worked as a French lawyer and politician, serving as Minister of Health under Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, President of the European Parliament and member of the Constitutional Council of France. Veil who has displayed great leadership in efforts leading to the overall betterment of civil society is one of our 2011 candidates for an IICS honorary fellowship.
Joseph Lieberman has led an outstanding career in public service in the United States. A former member of the Democratic Party, Lieberman was the party’s nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. He has served as the Majority Leader in the Connecticut Senate three times as well as the Attorney General of the United States. One of the most outstanding aspects of Sen. Lieberman’s political career is his steadfast stance towards issues that of greatest benefit of the public. We are proud to have Sen. Joe Lieberman as one of our 2011 candidates for an honorary IICS fellowship.
Unit for Re-Inventing Governance Unit Chair:
Prof. David Nachmias 1. israel constitution program
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state is governed. Almost every developed country in the world has a constitution. Israel does not. A national constitution stipulating the “equal” rights of each and every citizen is essential to the development of the Israeli state. The Israeli constitution program, led by some of the greatest, most impacting, will draft precepts of some of the most pressing issues concerning civil society to be used as a future constitution in Israel.
2. the annual conference for good governance
The Annual Conference for Good Governance is an extension of the successful 2011 “Local Governance Conference: Planning for the Future State,” held by the “Strengthening Governance Project.” The conference was attended by the Shimon Peres, President of Israel; Benjamin Netenyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, as well as every mayor in Israel. The success of the conference led to many follow up research projects including the research teams being commissioned to monitor the “Local Governance Bill” passed by the Knesset later that year.
Program Chair: Amnon Rubenstein
2012 Conference: Canada-Israel Conference for Accountability & Maintaining Democratic Governance in Crisis Situations Chair: Michael Sussman 2012 Honorable Chair: Hon. Wes McLean
all the mayors of israel gather in 2010? to discusss something and do something else...etc. etc. good governance and boried men photo: name and a name
Building upon the IDC tradition of holding superb international conferences such as the Annual Herzliya Conference and International Counter Terrorism Conference, the Annual Conference for Good Governance will convene to discuss some of the pressing issues facing the Israeli democracy as well as democracies at large around the world. This years conference will be a bi-lateral Canada-Israel conference, which will be attended by Prime Ministers, Ministers, Members of Parliament or Members of the Knesset, strategic advisors, and government aides from both countries. Many of the participants who will be attending from Canada include the architects of Prime Minister Stephan Harper’s “Cleaning Up Government” campaign.
3. e-governance program
E-governance is a term to refer to citizens access to the government through the internet. E-governance is an up-and-coming phenomenon throughout the democratic world as it increases the access and rights of citizens by allowing them to keep up-to-date with new information from their leaders and government, voice their concerns as well as communicate with their elected officials and government leaders. E-governance is an essential part of modern day democracy. The E-governance program seeks to increase and promote the efficacy of this new important medium and forum of electronic democracy.
4. the israeli journal for good governance
In contemporary Hebrew there is no world for “accountability.” The closest parallel to a word resembling “accountability” is “??” which is derived from the army. Led by Israel’s great public policy and governance expert David Nachmias, the Israeli Journal for Governance aims to develop concepts such as “accountability” as well as provide a forum for the leading intellectuals in Israel as well as fresh ideas by others that are of relevant to the development of Israel’s democracy. Nachmias who has published hundreds of articles, serves as a political consultant for the Israeli government and Prime Minister’s office, and written numbers of books on the subject is well versed and eager to begin this important project.
5. the weekly promotions unit
Developing ideas is only one part of the puzzle to promoting balanced government and social responsibility. The other, more essential part, is engaging the public with these issues. The weekly promotions unit utilizes connections with Israel’s primary media outlets and informs to inform the public of the key issues as well as potential solutions. Through weekly radio and television interviews on Israel’s leading networks or editorials or live speeches, the Weekly promotions unit is essential to engaging the public on the key issues facing Israel’s civil society.
Program Chair: TBA
Editor-in-Chief: Prof. David Nachmias
Chair: TBA
itamar levi trains for macabbiah
2009.
photos: thejewishagency@flickr
Unit for Social Responsibility The Journal For Civil Society in the Middle East
Unit Chair:
Editor-in-Chief: TBA Senior Managing Editors: Dr. Michael Widlanski, Dr. Seth J. Frantzman
Prof. Uriel Richman 1. think “right” program
Program Chair: Micha Staszewski, MA Keystone “Think Right” Programs: National Accountability Day The “Against-Corruption” Charter Youth Leadership-Social Responsibility Program
2. the israeli wellness index
3. public events 2011 featured artist Julia Schiller, photographer Theme: Child Labor in Israel & Homelessness
The Think “Right” Program is designed to engage the public to think in terms of greater responsibility. At the IICS, “Think Right” means thinking more socially responsibly. While we believe it unrealistic to take a huge steps all at once, our aim is to take small steps by introducing concepts essential to social responsibility to the Israeli public, that exist in most developed countries. to start having the public acknowledge them at a level accepted as international standards???
Wellness Index’s exist all throughout Europe. It is a tool that measures various aspects of how the effectiveness of democracy – the level to which the democracy is benefiting civilians. In Israel, there currently exists no wellness index. Paralleling the Wellness indices extant in Europe, the Israeli wellness index will measure the efficacy of Israel’s democracy according to numerous social indicators.
Speakers open to the public. Art show about issues pertaining to civil society. Documentary Film: In My Shoes Shot in the immediate aftermath of the Second Intifada, the documentary In My Shoes interviews the everyday civilian, Palestinians and Israelis, and portrays their wants. The documentary is in its final stages of editing and shows that most people on both sides of the West Bank and Gaza Strip want peace, good governance, and higher standards of living.
Sample Article: Corruption in the Holy Scriptures: Islam, Christianity and Judaism by Dr. Michael Widlanski
Israel is a regional leader in the Middle East in terms of exporting technology, training staff, <one more>, as well as in a number of other areas. Israel is also the only democracy in the Middle East, a region of the world that is primarily governed by brutal authoritarian rulers as well as religious extremists. TThe Journal For Civil Society in the Middle East aims to make Israel a regional leader in exporting democracy–– a small step towards making it the hub for democratic voices to be heard throughout the region. The journal will combine scholarly analysis along with articles written by influential citizens living in Middle Eastern countries. Furthermore, it will cover a myriad of topics, ranging from freedom of the press, to women’s rights, to democracy and any other issue pertinent to the democratic development of the Middle East. Israel, which is commonly recognized in the world media for its conflicts, will have an opportunity to help promote and voice democracy and citizen’s rights in the Middle East.
Multiple Modernities Unit
in honor of s.n. eisenstadt
Unit Chair:
Prof. Gerhard Preyer
For centuries it was believed that modernization was synonymous with Westernization. Throughout this time, scholars and modernization experts dubbed modernity homogenous: the cultures of the world would converge into one global culture that resembled Westernization. The late Professor S.N. Eisenstadt, one of Israel’s foremost scholars, pioneered contradicting the long-held notion of a homogenous modernity, and showed that many modernities exist. That modernity is distinctive, based on culture, history, and collective identity. At the IICS, we believe that development should be distinctive to the unique attributes of Israel. The Multiple Modernities Unit will promote academic research, promote papers, and hold conferences to develop this nascent and important theory in memory of one of Israel’s greatest minds in the social sciences. Our initiative is important. We are looking for people around the world who share our concern for the development of Israel to be a part of our team. Israel is a young democracy. As such, fresh perspectives from abroad are essential to helping to achieve a more balanced government and greater social responsibility–– putting the country on par with OECD standards, and even exceeding them. If there is anything that Israel has proven, it is its ability to achieve excellence. We welcome all those who are willing to help us achieve this great and excellent feat.
photo: the jewish agency
@flickr
board of trustees ($500,000)
Chairman of Finance (GF) Chairman for the Division of Corruption (GDC) Chairman for the Division of Accountability (GDA) Chairman for the Division of Re-Inventing Government (GDG) Chairman for External Relations (GER) Chairman of Conferences and Special Events (GCSE)
ISRAEL CENTER FOR CIVIL SOCIETY (IICS)
املركز اإلسرائيلي للمجتمع املدني המרכז הישראלי חברה אזרחית
www.iics.org
00.0000000 emailus@iics.org