The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI; ), established in 1991, is an independent research center that defines itself as being dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy. It is based in
Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
.
History

The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) was founded in 1991 as a "center of research and action dedicated to strengthening the foundations of Israeli democracy." ''
Haaretz
''Haaretz'' (; originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , , ) is an List of newspapers in Israel, Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel. The paper is published in Hebrew lan ...
'' described IDI as a "pro-democracy think tank," while the IDI has traditionally coined itself as a "do tank". The IDI is generally portrayed as the leftist counterweight to the
Kohelet Policy Forum.
The IDI receives funding from
Bernard Marcus.
IDI's offices are located in Jerusalem.
Activities
In November 2022, the IDI began a public campaign about the
Israeli judicial reform.
Karnit Flug, the institute's vice president of research, was one of the first authoritative voices warning about the reform's potential impact on the Israeli economy.
It aims to bolster the values and institutions of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. The non-partisan think tank was awarded the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...
for by the
State of Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.
In 2014,
Yohanan Plesner was appointed president. In 2018, their vice president of research
Yuval Shany was chosen to head the
United Nations Human Rights Committee.
Until 2015, the IDI published ''
HaAyin HaShevi'it'' (''The Seventh Eye'').
Award and ranking
In 2009, IDI was awarded the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize (; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
Prior to the Israel Prize, the most significant award in the arts was the Dizengoff Prize and in Israel ...
for its "lifetime achievement and special contribution to society and the State of Israel.
In the
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
's ''2014 Global Go To Think Tanks Report'', it was ranked the 23rd best think tank in the Middle East and North Africa.
See also
*
List of Israel Prize recipients
This is an incomplete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 - 2025.
List
For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize website ...
References
External links
Official website
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Civil rights organizations
Civil liberties advocacy groups
Israel Prize for lifetime achievement & special contribution to society recipients
Israel Prize recipients that are organizations
Liberalism in Israel
Non-profit organizations based in Israel
Organizations based in Jerusalem
Political and economic think tanks based in Israel
Think tanks established in 1991
Think tanks based in Israel
1991 establishments in Israel
Democracy promotion