The Institute Interns/Koret Fellows Program is a project of IASPS designed to train students to be members of an independent policy community dedicated to limited government. The preservation of economic freedom is the best guarantor of this principle.

The IASPS Internship Program has earned itself a high reputation in Israel. Israel's top postgraduates inundated the Institute with applications for Koret Fellowships. The number of applicants was double that of last year.

IASPS takes great pride in announcing the awarding of seven Koret fellowships for the 1996 -1997 academic year. Two current fellows, Ruby Ginel and Efrat Nativ, have been granted Fellowships for a second year. Two alternate Fellows have also been selected: Michal Price (Hebrew University) and Reuven Mascil Layton (College of Management).

The Koret Fellows will participate in advanced economic seminars at IASPS taught by IASPS senior Fellow, Professor Yakir Plessner, and receive training in research techniques from IASPS Associate Fellow Yossi Laster. They will intern with a member of Israel's Knesset for a full year and with a member of Congress in Washington for one month. DEPR Director Alvin Rabushka continues to provide training in policy formulation. The Fellowship Program is directed by Zev Golan.

The original class of interns has now completed its second year and most are preparing for careers in business or research. Ishai Ashlag has had a research paper examining Israel's pension fund crisis published in IASPS's Policy Studies series.

The seven new IASPS Koret Fellows are:

Bracha (Bar) Dadon, 24, has completed her Bachelor's degree in economics at Ben Gurion University in the Negev. She served in the Israeli Air Force and has employment experience in both the Israeli court system and in private business.

"The current progressive Israeli tax system strives for equality but also inefficiency. The system discourages people from working. We could use a little regressivity. Israel is socialist in nature and distributes benefits to lower income people while forgetting that high income wage earners are also citizens."

Yoav Buxbaum, 28, holds a Bachelor's degree in economics from Hebrew University's Rehovot campus, where he is now pursuing a Master's degree in economics. Buxbaum was a teacher's aide in mathematics for three years at the Open University's School of Technology, and has served as an officer in the army's Nahal and Givati brigades.

"An optimal tax system should tax consumption rather than income, be efficient and as such - flat. For a society to be free, it's members should have the right to enjoy the profits of their labor or capital.''

Shlomi Shuv, 25, completed his Bachelor's degree in business administration and accounting at Tel Aviv's College of Management. He simultaneously pursued and received a teacher's certification in accounting and economics. Shuv won awards for academic excellence in both his accounting and educational studies and has just completed his CPA exams.

"The Israeli government's intervention in the economy impinges upon the liberty and economic rights of its citizens in education, housing, industry, trade, media, in fact everywhere.''

Lihi Kafra, 24, holds a Bachelor's in political science from Tel Aviv University and is now studying for a Master's degree in public policy. Kafra served as an officer in the Adjutant's Corps of the IDF, working with Intelligence and Navy units.

"In Israel the marginal tax rate is still over 50%. When half the income of productive citizens is taken by the government, they cannot realize their potential. Simply, the government of Israel is strangling the productive sector. In Israel, an individual's ability to pursue his economic interests is quite limited.''

Amir Etzioni, 25, is enrolled in Bar Ilan University's simultaneous B.A.- M.A. track in economics, an option afforded only the most outstanding students. Within this program, he has already received his Bachelor's degree in economics and business. Etzioni was a Merkava tank commander during his IDF service.

"Without doubting its necessity, compulsory service in the army - and especially in the reserves - is an infringement of citizens' economic rights and should be viewed as a tax on their time."

Ehud Manirav, 25, has a B.A. in economics and business administration from Bar Ilan, where he is currently completing, on the simultaneous track for outstanding students, his Master's. Manirav was the Economics Depart-ment's single most outstanding student the year before last. He enjoys chess and basketball and volunteers teaching children of prison inmates.

"The direction of economic policy should be reducing centralization and government intervention and increasing privatization and competition. The pace, for now, is too slow."

Adam Ruskin, 33, holds a B.A. in history from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and a J.D. from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is currently a Master's degree candidate in public policy at Hebrew University. Ruskin is a member of the New York and Israel Bar Associations. While practicing law he edited a newsletter on the Israeli business and economic environment.

"The only guiding hand in society should be that of the marketplace, and not of government bureaucrats."