Our projects
Interface – Proposals for Reforms in the Israel's System of Checks and Balances
This mapping study examines the ideational discourse and proposals for institutional changes in Israel’s system of checks and balances between 2004 and 2024. Against the backdrop of the insight that democratic erosion in the current era is often carried out through gradual changes to governing institutions, and as part of the work of the “Checks and Balances” Lab at CARRD, the study aims to map the web of ideas and reform proposals that emerged in Israel’s public and academic spheres. Using a combination of traditional data-collection techniques and supervised AI-based text analysis, a substantial database of policy and reform proposals was identified. Analysis of this repository reveals a lively dynamic of ideational debates responding to political and social events, focusing primarily on the core of the governmental and constitutional structure: the Knesset, the Basic Laws, and the electoral system. The study points to a relatively broad consensus in the ideational arena regarding the central challenges facing Israeli democracy, particularly issues of governmental stability, separation of powers, and transparency. The study’s main contribution is the creation of a comprehensive and accessible informational infrastructure through a dedicated website, which for the first time enables a systematic overview of Israel’s institutional “marketplace of ideas.” This mapping opens the door to further research and underscores the importance of understanding the ideational processes that precede institutional change—whether those changes strengthen democracy or weaken it.
Risk Assessment Report on Israeli Democracy 2025
Eyal Benvenisti and Rachel Edri - Hulata
The conceptual point of departure for this document—as for the Center as a whole—is the insight that democratic processes are always under attack by forces that seek to undermine them by studying their vulnerabilities and exploiting them. Defending democracy is a continuous task that must remain alert to challenges and find ways to neutralize them. Democracy is akin to cultivating a garden bed, which requires constant attention and the removal of pests and intruders that threaten to take it over. Over time, pests develop resistance to some protective measures, or different pests arrive.
Therefore, cultivation requires the continual updating of protective tools.
To assess the situation in Israel, this document seeks to present the most salient risks that challenge the basic assumptions of Israel’s democratic system, analyze the interplay among them, and review possible courses of action in response.
Talking Democracy - Podcast
Attorney Racheli Edri Hulata, along with the journalist Michael Miro, meet for a weekly conversation on the "Talking About Democracy" podcast of the Center for Applied Research on Risks to Democracy, established at Tel Aviv University. In the podcast, we meet researchers and discuss with them the critical questions that concern us, and offer an in-depth and multidisciplinary perspective on the challenges facing democracy in Israel and the Western world.
Let's dive into the depths of things and think about the future of democracy together.
Visual interface for social and political opinion polls
The Israel National Election Studies (INES) is the longest running social and political survey series in Israel. INES, located at the School of Political Science, Government and International Relations at Tel Aviv University, includes social and political public opinion surveys in Israel from 1969 to the present, and constitutes the longest survey series in Israel. It is academic research and scientific, independent and qualitative survey data on voting patterns, public opinion, political participation in Israel and a wide range of other topics.
Collaboration with the Center for Applied Risk Research led to a visual and accessible interface for the data.
Call for Proposals – Democracy Outside the Box
The Center for Applied Research on Risks to Democracy at Tel Aviv University identifies that democratic systems in Israel and around the world are under constant attack. Competing actors exploit the system’s vulnerabilities to control it, and the traditional tools for defending democracy—such as a constitution, a bill of rights, and the judiciary—no longer provide a sufficient response, especially in light of the profound crisis of trust in state institutions.
We invite you to take part in thinking through innovative, outside-the-box solutions that do not focus only on the constitutional–legal structure. Our goal is to understand the roots of the crisis of trust between different communities and democratic institutions, to identify the challenges democracy faces, and to develop new ways to strengthen and fortify Israeli democracy.