If 2011 will be remembered in Israel as the year of the social protest in which thousands of the country's citizens sought to reexamine and reconsider the foundations of the economy, policies, and the balance of power between the different players in it, 2012 was the year in which the government responded to the protest and initiated policies which were supposed to answer the questions raised during the previous summer, on the basis of the Trajtenberg Report, which analyzed tax, the cost of living, housing and other problems. Although the government made real changes in the mobile and some other markets, and there is almost no connection between the market, the players and the prices which we had then and what we have now, there almost full agreement about whether the government did enough: most of the economy is unchanged. 2013, the first year of a new government (or of a reelected government) will be the great test for the continuation of the structural reforms, while the big question remains the same: how is possible to lower the cost of living in Israel? What will happen in markets which have not streamlined? How can mismanaged government monopolies like the Israel Electric Corporation be reformed? How can the housing shortage – a key factor of inequality in Israel - be solved? Has the social burden reached equilibrium? What are the country's priorities, and what should the country's resources be used for? What solutions do the people who hope to lead the country for the next four years offer on these issues?

participants:
Dr. Jennifer Blanke, Chief Economist, Head of the Global Competitiveness Network, World Economic Forum
Dr. Yossi Vardi, Internet Entrepreneur Dr. Jennifer Blanke, Chief Economist, Head of the Global Competitiveness Network, World Economic Forum
Dr. Peter Jarrett, Head of Division, Economics Department, OECD Rami Levy, Owner & CEO, Rami Levy Chain Stores - Hashikma Marketing
Prof. Momi Dahan, Head, Federmann, School of Public Policy & Government, The Hebrew University
Gal Hershkovitz, ;Budget Director, Ministry of Finance
Dan Propper, Chairman of the Board, Osem Group
Shelly Yachimovich chairwoman of the Israeli Labor Party
Moderator: Hagai Golan, Editor-in-Chief, Globes