Dr. Steven Laufer

The overarching objective of this study was to create, for the first time in Israel, an individual-level, practical wellbeing index comprising a relatively short list of aspects, that can be used to assess the impact of intervention programs on individual wellbeing. The objectives of the research stage presented in this report are: (1) To compile a shortlist of aspects to be included in the wellbeing index; and (2) To determine the relative weight of each aspect.

This study examines the characteristics of borrowers who deferred payments with the goal of understanding their ability to make loan repayments after the end of the pandemic.

This paper reviews the programs implemented by governments in Israel and in English-speaking OECD countries (United States, Australia, New Zealand, England, Canada, Ireland) to address the rise in unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the intention of placing Israeli experience in an international context.

The overarching goal of this research is to expand the existing knowledge on the financial resilience of households in Israel, in light of the ongoing economic slowdown.

The goals of the study were: Measure the percentage of households that have reduced or withdrawn savings, taken out loans, or deferred payments in the wake of the pandemic ; Understand which households used these resources more, and identify patterns that are not apparent from aggregate financial data; Examine the extent to which various types of government assistance have helped mitigate the harm to households.

Background Social isolation and other dramatic steps taken by the Israeli government to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Israel have caused significant damage to the economy. At an aggregate level, the GDP fell at an annual rate of 7% in the first quarter of 2020 and of 29% in the second quarter. A broad […]