Yuval Bartov עב

Available for research, reviews and talks

Yuval Bartov

Public policy, data and local government

Researcher and lecturer. I study how local authorities can strengthen Israeli democracy.

My story Get in touch
Yuval Bartov

  • Researching local authorities since 2021: at the Israel Democracy Institute, the Israeli Movement and Shittah.

    What I do now

  • Data reviews on budget transparency, council and committee minutes, and municipal grants.

    See publications

  • Research covering all 255 local authorities, analysis in Stata and SPSS, and manifesto coding for MARPOR.

  • Op-eds on electoral reform, an Israel 2022 election simulation, and running an election day with 300 staff and volunteers.

    Read the op-ed

  • An MA summa cum laude, an opinion for the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, and a Knesset Interior Committee debate.

    My story

Worked with

What I do now

  • Since 2026

    The Israeli Foundation for Democracy

  • Since 2025

    Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College

    Lecturer, School of Management

    Teaching the undergraduate course “Local Government, Central Government and Regulation.”

    Website of Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College
  • Since 2016

    Reichman University & Hadassah College

    Teaching assistant

    At the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at Reichman, and since 2023 at the School of Politics and Communication at Hadassah Academic College.

    Website of Reichman University & Hadassah College
  • Since 2021

    Independent

    Local government research and teaching

    Commissioned research, data reviews and talks. Get in touch

Previously

See my full career path

About me

I am a policy researcher specializing in local government. I have researched and written about local authorities at the Israel Democracy Institute, the Israeli Movement and Shittah – Institute for Local Policy, where I headed research and development.

I teach local government, central government and regulation at the Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College, have been a teaching assistant at Reichman University since 2016, and hold an MA summa cum laude in political science and public policy. In 2026 I joined the Israeli Foundation for Democracy.

My full story

In numbers

  • 255 local authorities in my data-driven research at the Israel Democracy Institute
  • 12 publications since 2021: studies, data reviews, working papers and op-eds
  • 300 staff and volunteers I led on election day in Givatayim, 2024
  • 2016 the year I started teaching; today at Reichman and the Jerusalem Multidisciplinary College

Research tested in the field: at the Knesset, in local authorities and on campaigns.

Expertise

The questions I research, write and teach about.

  • Central and local government

    How they relate, local autonomy and fiscal independence.

  • Local transparency

    Budgets, council and committee minutes, and municipal grants.

  • Services to residents

    Municipal call centers and the gaps between authorities.

  • Councils and council members

    Compensation, tools for council work and legislation.

  • Electoral and governance reform

    Election simulations and parliamentary oversight of the executive.

  • Parties and manifestos

    Manifesto coding and party cohesion.

  • Quantitative research

    Analyzing local government data in Stata and SPSS.

  • Need a talk or a review on one of these?

    Let’s talk

Publications

Studies, data reviews and articles on local government in Israel.

Featured

All publications

  1. 26 May 2025 The one thing Israeli society agrees on: it’s time to change the electoral system Makor Rishon, with Dani Rubin Op-edIn Hebrew
  2. Feb 2025 Local Government as Viewed through the Data: Aspects and Trends Israel Democracy Institute, with Dr. Ariel Finkelstein, Ayala Goldberg and Asaf HeimanEnglish abstract ResearchIn Hebrew
  3. 30 Jan 2025 Instead of raising municipal tax, give local authorities real powers Calcalist Op-edIn Hebrew
  4. 31 Jan 2024 Municipal Call Centers in Local Authorities: A Data Review Israel Democracy Institute, with Dr. Ariel Finkelstein Data reviewIn Hebrew
  5. 28 Jan 2024 Budget Transparency in Local Authorities: A Data Review Israel Democracy Institute, with Dr. Ariel Finkelstein Data reviewIn Hebrew
  6. 28 Jan 2024 Municipal Grants by Local Authorities: A Data Review Israel Democracy Institute, with Dr. Ariel Finkelstein Data reviewIn Hebrew
  7. 26 Sep 2023 Transparency of Council and Committee Meetings in Local Authorities: A Data Review Israel Democracy Institute, with Dr. Ariel Finkelstein Data reviewIn Hebrew
  8. Jul 2023 The Framework of Relations Between Central and Local Government: Israel Compared with Developed Democracies Policy Paper 192, Israel Democracy Institute, with Dr. Ariel Finkelstein ResearchIn Hebrew
  9. Jan 2023 Change the System? Agenda section, Liberal, with Dr. Maoz Rosenthal ArticleIn Hebrew
  10. Nov 2022 Election Simulation: Israel 2022 Working Paper 3/22, Reichman University Working paperIn Hebrew
  11. 25 Jan 2022 Strengthening the Financial Autonomy of Local Authorities Opinion for the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, Israel Democracy Institute, with Dr. Ariel Finkelstein Policy opinionIn Hebrew
  12. Aug 2021 Parliamentary Oversight Tools: A Comparative Overview Working Paper 8/21, Reichman University Working paperIn Hebrew

Media & Knesset

Teaching & talks

Commissioned research, data reviews and talks.

Book a talk

Get in touch

I’d love to hear from elected officials, municipal staff, organizations, researchers and journalists working on local government: for research, a talk, a collaboration or a conversation.

hello@yuvalbartov.com