Cost of living after 4 years of government tenure
A critical article by Prof. Yossi Spiegel examining the government's failure to address the cost of living after four years in office. The article cites a report from the Knesset Research and Information Center, research from Tel Aviv University, and describes failed government measures: the Slavin Committee which met only a few times, the "State's Basket" project that was discontinued, and the import reform that is not properly implemented.
A critical article by Prof. Yossi Spiegel from the Faculty of Management at Tel Aviv University examines the government's failure to address the cost of living after four years in office. The article opens with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's statement at the first government meeting on December 29, 2022, where he set four main goals: stopping Iran, restoring security and governance, addressing the cost of living and housing crisis, and expanding the circle of peace. The article argues that the government failed in all four goals, focusing on the cost of living. A report from the Knesset Research and Information Center from June shows that the consumer food price index has risen by nearly 19% since the beginning of 2022. A study by Itai Ater and Adi Omer from Tel Aviv University published this week reveals that a basket of 80 popular products has become more expensive by nearly 20% in neighborhood stores and nearly 15% in discount stores since September 2022. The article describes three failed government measures: the Slavin Committee headed by the former Director General of the Ministry of Finance, which met only a few times and whose impact was defined as "absolute zero" by one of the partners; the "State's Basket" project launched in April 2026 with an announcement by Economy Minister Nir Barkat that "we are changing the rules of the game," but in practice only the Carrefour chain accessed it and it was discontinued after six months; and the "What's Good for Europe is Good for Israel" reform that took effect in January 2025, but the State Comptroller found its implementation flawed. The article concludes that the government has failed miserably in achieving its goals.