Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research

The institute was created at Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek's initiative by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Foundation to study the city and produce policy-relevant research.[1] Its work now extends from city statistics, urban planning, sustainability, economics, and population studies to East Jerusalem, civil society, higher education, and Israel's social and governmental future.[3][4] It combines data services, publications, research forums, training, and strategic consulting for public institutions and other partners.[4][7]

The Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research was established in 1978 after Teddy Kollek — who served as mayor of Jerusalem from 1965 to 1993 — proposed the creation of a research institute dedicated to studying what he described as one of the world's most complex cities.[1][2] The heads of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Foundation responded to his initiative by establishing the institute, with Prof. David Amiran becoming its first director.[1] Amiran invited Ora Ahimeir to establish the organization with him; the institute's history identifies Ahimeir as its first director and a founder.[1]

The institute passed through several names in its early decades. It was first known as the Jerusalem Institute for Research, subsequently as the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies, and adopted its current name — the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research — in 2016.[1] David Amiran chaired it from 1978 to 1985, Amiram Gonen from 1985 to 1989, and Abraham Friedman from 1989 to 2002; Yaacov Bar-Siman-Tov became chair in 2002.[2]

From 1981 until 2011, the Charles H. Revson Foundation in New York served as the institute's primary funder.[1][2] Revson support was conditioned on research covering both Jerusalem and issues affecting Israel as a whole and was intended to provide "a basis for independent action, unaffiliated with the establishment."[1] Beginning in the mid-1990s, the institute organized itself into semi-separate research centers to manage its expanding portfolio. In 2014 it partnered with the U.S.-based Milken Center to establish the Milken Center for Innovation, which operates several Israeli and international fellows programs, including the Milken Fellows Program.[1][8]

The institute's stated mission is "to influence policy design, decision making processes, planning processes, and strategy."[4] It describes itself as a leading research and thought institute that issues from Jerusalem a sustainable social, economic, and spatial doctrine.[4] Its principal audiences are local and national decision-makers, civil-society organizations, the private sector, and members of the public with an interest in urban planning, public policy, and human geography.[4]

To pursue that mission, the institute manages databases, initiates and conducts research and training programs, organizes events and study days, consolidates and disseminates policy papers, and generates public discourse.[4] Its researchers work closely with clients and partners and seek to understand their specific needs.[3] The institute describes its three principal areas of expertise as urbanism and sustainability, economy and innovation, and society and populations.[4] Beyond producing research, it develops social, economic, spatial, and environmental models; evaluates the effects of policy decisions on distinct populations; and assists institutions in designing and implementing policy.[4]

The institute has described itself as independent and apolitical, with its work directed toward practical policy questions rather than solely academic debate.[6] Historically, it published approximately 20 books and reports and organized about 60 conferences and seminars annually, while also holding press conferences to promote public awareness of major issues.[2] In total, the institute has produced more than 400 publications.[6] As of 2023, its chief executive officer was David Koren and the head of Data Analysis and Services was Yair Assaf-Shapira.[9]

The Jerusalem Database has been active since 1982.[5] At the center of the database is the Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem, which the institute describes as the official source of statistical data about the city and which has been published continuously since 1982.[5][10] The yearbook draws on data from multiple sources, especially Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics and the Jerusalem Municipality, and is used at national, urban, and neighborhood levels by municipal workers, researchers, students, policymakers, and others interested in Jerusalem.[5] It covers subjects including population, migration, quality of life, employment, construction, transportation, tourism, education, health, welfare, religion, public order, and the municipal budget.[5]

Complementing the yearbook is Jerusalem: Facts and Trends, published annually since 1995, which presents a concise account of trends in categories such as population, employment, education, housing, and tourism.[5] The institute also introduced a weekly statistical column in local newspapers and on its blog in 2007. Initiated by Dr. Maya Choshen, the column is organized around the principle that "Without data, you are just another person with an opinion."[5] The 2023 yearbook — described as the 37th in the series — presented data on population and demographic composition, tourism and hotel occupancy, labor-force participation, migration, poverty, construction permits, apartment prices, employment sectors, birthrates, new immigrants, and metropolitan Jerusalem.[9]

The institute makes the Jerusalem Database available to policymakers and the general public, reflecting its view that reliable, current, and relevant statistical data are the foundation of sound policy.[8] The yearbooks and data outputs have been used to examine employment, unemployment, poverty, education, occupational patterns, public trust, satisfaction with municipal services, and living conditions across different parts of the city.[10]

The institute's research portfolio encompasses Jerusalem's statistical data and quality of life; East Jerusalem and its Arab-Palestinian society; relations between groups and shared spaces in the city; community and neighborhood security; the ultra-Orthodox sector; Bedouin society in the Negev; civil society and nonprofit organizations; higher education; Christian society in Israel and East Jerusalem; LGBTQ society in Jerusalem; Jewish-Arab relations and seam-line neighborhoods; Israel's social and governmental future; and the effects of the Iron Swords War on Jerusalem.[3]

On innovation and education, the institute is associated with the "City.Academy" initiative, founded by the Jerusalem Development Authority in cooperation with the Government of Israel, the Jerusalem Municipality, and the city's academic institutions. It aims to position Jerusalem as Israel's leading academic city and an international academic center.[3] Research on civil society has documented that approximately 23% of all nonprofit organizations in Israel operate in Jerusalem — a figure supported by 2017 data showing 4,077 active nonprofits in Jerusalem compared with 1,600 in Tel Aviv — and has highlighted the nonprofit sector's substantial economic importance to the city.[3]

The institute's research also addresses innovation, environmental policy, urban sustainability, transportation, housing, and relations among Jerusalem's population groups.[8][4] It has devoted particular attention to haredi and East Jerusalem populations, as well as other distinct communities affected by policy decisions.[4] Featured publications include Christianity & Christians in the Jewish State (publication no. 545, 2021), which addresses Israeli policy toward churches and Christian communities from 1948 to 2018; Keeping Our (Social) Distance? (2021), on the COVID-19 pandemic and relations among Jerusalem's population groups; and Small Successes: Conducting Projects in Conservative Haredi Education (publication no. 607, 2023).[8]

The institute has also studied the Temple Mount, including developments and trends from 2015 to 2022, as well as the impact of the Israel-Hamas war on East Jerusalem's educational system, labor market, women, seam-line neighborhoods, civil society, and shared-living organizations.[8] Its Jerusalem Lexicon, edited by Amnon Ramon, and the architectural series Jerusalem's Architecture by David Kroyanker are among its reference publications listed in scholarly sources.[2]

Since 1993, a dedicated research team at the institute has studied Jerusalem's geopolitical issues, with particular attention to demographic, social, economic, and political trends in East Jerusalem.[11] Operating through the East Jerusalem Forum, the team formulates alternatives for administering the city both in the absence of a political settlement and under possible intermediate or permanent settlements.[11] Forum members include representatives of governing authorities and civil-society organizations, and the team analyzes social trends, the positions and interests of relevant parties, lessons from earlier negotiations, and possible administrative scenarios.[11]

A central motivation for this work is the institute's observation that organized knowledge about East Jerusalem is limited and that its neighborhoods remain largely "terra incognita" for the general public and government authorities alike.[8] The institute seeks to promote knowledge-based social-economic, municipal, and political strategies that account for the differing wishes and needs of the city's Arab residents.[3] In 2019 the institute published a mapping of East Jerusalem neighborhoods addressing infrastructure and service gaps, including roads, sidewalks, sewage, water, family-care centers, post offices, and banks.[10]

The institute's yearbook data have been applied to examine employment, unemployment, poverty, education, occupational patterns, public trust, satisfaction with municipal services, and living conditions in Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.[10] Research and policy materials produced since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war have specifically addressed East Jerusalem's educational system, labor market, women, seam-line neighborhoods, civil society, and shared-living organizations.[8]

Since its establishment, the institute has addressed the geopolitical future of Jerusalem through multidisciplinary research drawing on urban planning, law, economics, geography, history, international relations, Middle East studies, religious studies, and demography.[12] This work has taken the form of policy dialogue, expert position papers, publications, and field excursions.[12]

In 2000 the institute published Peacemaking in Jerusalem, which analyzed three approaches to resolving the Jerusalem issue.[12] The paper became a focal point of discussions within negotiating teams, and institute representative Reuven Merhav was invited to participate in discussions surrounding the Camp David peace talks.[12] The institute's background papers and perspectives on Jerusalem's future were described as central to the peace negotiations led by Prime Minister Ehud Barak in 1999–2000.[2] The series Jerusalem and the Peace Process, edited by Ruth Lapidoth and colleagues, is among the institute's noted publications on this subject.[2]

The institute presents its work on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and peace process as addressing what it calls the most intractable disagreement between Israel and its neighbors, and states that it has dealt with Jerusalem's geopolitical future since its founding.[8] The East Jerusalem Forum situates this research within a practical framework, developing administrative alternatives rather than limiting itself to theoretical analysis.[11]

In 2023 the institute launched the "Futures for Israel" initiative, dedicated to developing concrete proposals for Israel's social and governmental future.[3] Its 2025 publication, Futures for Israel 2025 (publication no. 628), proposes five concrete ideas for a new social-governmental order in Israel.[3] The project reflects the institute's broader ambition — stated in its mission — to move beyond Jerusalem-specific research and contribute to national policy design.[4]

The Milken Innovation Center, identified as an institutional component of the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research, operates several Israeli and international fellows programs and connects the institute's research capabilities to innovation policy.[8] The City.Academy initiative, meanwhile, illustrates the institute's engagement with higher education and urban competitiveness, aiming to make Jerusalem a leading hub of academic activity within Israel and internationally.[3]

The institute's publication record spans more than four decades and covers a broad range of Jerusalem-related subjects. The Statistical Yearbook of Jerusalem, edited by Maya Choshen, has been issued continuously since 1982.[5][2] Jerusalem: Facts and Trends, published since 1995, provides an annual summary of key urban indicators.[5] The series Jerusalem and the Peace Process, edited by Ruth Lapidoth and colleagues, addresses the geopolitical dimension of the city's future.[2]

Other listed publications include The Jerusalem Lexicon, edited by Amnon Ramon; the Jerusalem's Architecture series by David Kroyanker; and The War Over the Holy Places by Shmuel Berkowitz.[2] More recent publications include Christianity & Christians in the Jewish State (2021), Keeping Our (Social) Distance? (2021), and Small Successes: Conducting Projects in Conservative Haredi Education (2023).[8] The institute also produced Peacemaking in Jerusalem (2000), which became a focal point in negotiating-team discussions surrounding the Camp David peace talks.[12] Since 2007, a weekly statistical column initiated by Dr. Maya Choshen has appeared in local newspapers and on the institute's blog.[5]

Research-based policy recommendations are described by the institute as the core of its activities, supported by more than 40 years of experience in public-sector strategic consulting, planning, and policy-document preparation.[7] Projects commissioned by government bodies, local authorities, or philanthropic foundations may include strategic research, policy documents with literature reviews and scenario analysis, master plans, rapid policy and background documents, and advice to professional committees and forums.[7]

One reported example of policy impact concerns unmapped land parcels in eastern Jerusalem. Institute research found that the state could be losing approximately NIS 2 billion because the parcels had not been mapped and registered; following the research, the Justice, Jerusalem, and Treasury ministries decided to allocate NIS 50 million for mapping and registration.[6] An analysis by the Institute for National Security Studies identified the Jerusalem Institute for Policy Research within Israel's broader ecosystem of university-linked and independent think tanks, specifically recognizing its contribution to policy decisions through research on Jerusalem in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.[13]

The institute publishes its background papers and perspectives with the intent of placing key issues on the public agenda and promoting long-term planning and public involvement in civic processes.[2] Its materials are prepared by scholars and experienced practitioners in relevant fields and are directed toward practical policy outcomes.[2]