Democratic Restoration Lab

Since the last elections in November 2022, the process of democratic backsliding in Israel has accelerated, alongside unprecedented civic opposition to these moves. Monitoring the anti-democratic legislation of the 25th Knesset reveals that a series of significant legislative measures have succeeded, serving to entrench a regime with non-democratic characteristics. The bills introduced and the legislation passed have exposed a range of vulnerabilities in Israeli democracy; consequently, halting the backsliding is insufficient—proactive measures are required to restore democracy and ensure its resilience. The Democratic Restoration Lab is built upon a multidisciplinary collaboration among researchers in political science, law, and public policy. Its goal is to develop a research framework—grounded in both theory and data—that focuses on the legal and constitutional infrastructure required to reverse the trend of democratic backsliding. The initiative emphasizes identifying the legal, public, and political challenges involved in establishing such a framework for democratic restoration, as well as developing effective responses and prioritizing their implementation.