TAU Launches Institute for Law and Philanthropy
Philanthropy around the world is evolving at a dramatic pace. This is due to a significant increase in wealth among a large number of individuals, on the one hand, and the rise in income and inequality on the other. Despite the growing awareness of the importance of philanthropy as a vehicle for social change, however, Israeli legal, fiscal and corporate policy has yet to catch up with the changing philanthropic landscape.
Now, a new institute focusing on law and philanthropy is being launched at TAU’s Buchmann Faculty of Law. The institute will support the country’s philanthropic sector in its quest to foster a more prosperous and equitable society. It will promote multidisciplinary research and training combining law, economics, social work, management, psychology and sociology, and hold working group meetings bringing together TAU scholars with philanthropic and impact-investment fund managers, current and potential philanthropists, government officials, policymakers and representatives of organizations in the Third and Fourth sectors Among other applications, research findings could be used for improving regulation and taxation of philanthropy as part of a broader, more cohesive fiscal policy.
The idea and impetus for the institute came from attorneys-at-law and philanthropists, Ms. Dafna Nehmad-Meitar and Ms. Edna Fast, in conjunction with law professor Yoram Margalioth and advocate Galia Feit of TAU's Elga Cegla Clinical Legal Education Program.
The Institute was announced at a symposium entitled “Philanthropy and Its Role in Social and Economic Policy,” which took place during the 2014 Board of Governors Meeting. Guest speaker was Mr. Andrés Spokoiny, President and CEO, Jewish Funders Network.
Dean of Law Ron Harris said, “The Institute will help integrate philanthropy into Israeli socioeconomic policy for the purposes of promoting social welfare, economic growth and distributive justice and strengthening the democratic nature of the state.”