/// AARON INSTITUTE MEETS TO DISCUSS INFLATION, INEQUALITIES AND OTHER ISRAELI TOPICS

MK Avigdor Liberman at the Aaron Institute for Economic Policy Annual Conference 2022, Photo: Gilad Kavalerchick

The Aaron Institute held its annual conference and as always, attracted numerous distinguished participants.

Nobel laureate Prof. Ben Bernanke stated that he isn’t expecting high levels of inflation and explained the differences between the current economic and political situation in comparison to the ‘70s. He also explained the importance of regulating cryptocurrency.

Prof. Amir Yaron, Governor of the Bank of Israel, mentioned that while inflation in the short run could cross the 4% bar, he anticipates a gradual decline toward the target by mid-2023. Former Minister of the Economy, MK Orna Barbivai, explained her plans to reduce the cost of living.

MK Mansour Abbas was also present to discuss the collapse of the coalition, explaining why it was both well-functioning and successful, with various parties that had learned to collaborate, despite the difficulties. Former Minister of Finance, MK Avigdor Liberman, addressed the insufficient investment in infrastructure and its economic cost, along with his plans to increase investment.

Shlomo Dovrat, Chairman of the Aaron Institute Board, and Founder and General Partner at Viola Ventures, said that the high-tech sector will reduce wages and increase redundancies, which will be good for the industry and the Israeli economy, while Prof. Zvi Eckstein, Dean of the Tiomkin School of Economics and Head of the Aaron Institute, discussed the reforms needed to support economic growth and reduction of poverty.

Another activity that took place was a round table on the wages, employment quality and skills training for ultra-Orthodox women, as a part of The Center for Economic Policy for the Ultra-Orthodox at the Aaron Institute. The discussion was led by Dr. Hila Axelrad, and recommended ways to increase employment quality and wages of ultra-Orthodox women. An example of this includes introducing training courses in additional fields, tailored to the needs of ultra-Orthodox women, and removing cultural and financial barriers.

Women from a variety of ultra-Orthodox streams participated in the discussion and shared from their personal as well as professional experience, the difficulty of ultra-Orthodox women dealing with non-Orthodox employers, the challenge of the seminars vs. the higher education system and more.