דמוגרפיה וחוסן
תפיסות האיכות והרווחה של השירות החברתי: פרויקט ניתוח יישומי בינתחומי ישראלי חדש
(באנגלית)
Demography and Resilience
The Perceptions of Social Service Quality and Well-being: A New Israeli Interdisciplinary Applied Analysis Project
פרופ' ליהיא להט
פרופ' ניר שרון
גיא ון-דם
Prof. Lihi Lahat
Prof. Nir Sharon
Guy Van-Dam
התפיסות של איכות ורווחה של השירות החברתי: פרויקט ניתוח יישומי בינתחומי ישראלי חדש (באנגלית)
The Perceptions of Social Service Quality and Well-being: A New Israeli Interdisciplinary Applied Analysis Project
This study explores the connection between perceptions of the quality of social services and people’s
well-being, with a particular emphasis on how people’s well-being affects their perceptions regarding the
quality of services. At the core of this research, we employ a challenging quantitative analysis of a vast EU
database to derive hidden connections and conclusions. Our research’s vision is to use advanced scientific
methods to facilitate decision-making and policy strategies regarding people’s well-being.
The findings of many relevant studies in the literature show the complexity of the relationship between
different variables and mental well-being and especially that, many times, the relationship is not linear.
Therefore, we aim to deeply examine the use of some of today’s most advanced algorithms to identify
patterns, unusual phenomena, and non-linear relationships between the various parameters underlying
the research questions. In particular, many characteristics of the information sometimes manage to fall
outside the capabilities of classical statistical techniques due to different factors, for example, noise (accuracy of measurements), the human nature of answers to survey questions (modeling problem), difficulty
in processing discrete data, issues with scaling data about their “true” weight (normalization), hidden
dependence between parameters, high dimensionality, and more. In this project, we focus on the following
three approaches. First are the more standard clustering and classification algorithms, including unsupervised k-means, spectral clustering, and hierarchical clustering, and supervised learning methods such
as support vector machine and random forest. The second approach is termed questionnaire methods,
where we wish to recognize and exploit the geometry of the underlying data based on learning the most
appropriate metrics or data affinities and applying tree methods and wavelets techniques to analyze the
dataset. The final approach uses the AI-based method, particularly graph neural networks, to define a
more dynamic data representation and analysis model.
The numerical work will be carried out locally at Tel Aviv University. At the same time, the complete
analysis will combine the efforts of all partners, both at Ben-Gurion University and Sapir College. Our
project will form a unique fusion between social and exact sciences research and will introduce a new
interdisciplinary corporation between researchers within different institutions in Israel.
על אודות החוקרים
פרופ' ליהיא להט
Dr. Lihi Lahat is a senior lecturer in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at Sapir Academic College and an Affiliate Associate Professor at the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies at Concordia University, Montreal. Her research focuses on regulating personal social services, policy perceptions, trust, and the well-being of public sector workers, the relationship between time and policy, smart cities, and collaborative governance. Dr. Lahat holds a BA in political science, an MA cum laude in public policy, and a Ph.D. in public policy, all from Tel Aviv University. Her doctoral dissertation was on policymakers' perceptions of poverty. Her papers have been published in various journals, including Policy Sciences, Social Policy & Administration, International Review of Administrative Science, Management & Governance, Poverty & Public Policy, Review of Public Personnel Administration, Journal of European Social Policy, and Policy Studies. Dr. Lahat has been a member of the Taub Center since 2009. Along with Dr. Sher-Hadar, she was the academic co-director of the research group studying collaborative governance in the Chazan Center at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. She serves as a board member of ESPAnet Israel, and on the board of the Association for Israel Studies (AIS). She was a member of the executive board of the Political Science Association (2011-2013) and ran the “Outcome Oriented Management and Practice in Human Services Project” in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services (2013–2014). Furthermore, she served as the public representative on the Social Work Committee, advising the Israeli Minister of Social Affairs and Social Services (2018-2021). In the fall of 2018 (revisited in October 2022), she was a visiting researcher at the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies at Concordia University, Montreal. In Fall 2019, she was an Israel Institute Visiting Scholar at the Serling Institute at Michigan State University, US.
פרופ' ניר שרון
ד"ר ניר שרון משמש כחבר סגל אקדמי בכיר בחוג למתמטיקה שימושית, אוניברסיטת תל אביב. תחומי מחקרו של ד"ר שרון הם: קירובים על יריעות, מידול גיאומטרי, בעיות שיערוך מעל חבורות, אנליזה הרמונית שימושית ומתמטיקה של מיקרוסקופ אלקטרונים.
About the researchers
Prof. Lihi Lahat
Dr. Lihi Lahat is a senior lecturer in the Department of Public Administration and Policy at Sapir Academic College and an Affiliate Associate Professor at the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies at Concordia University, Montreal. Her research focuses on regulating personal social services, policy perceptions, trust, and the well-being of public sector workers, the relationship between time and policy, smart cities, and collaborative governance. Dr. Lahat holds a BA in political science, an MA cum laude in public policy, and a Ph.D. in public policy, all from Tel Aviv University. Her doctoral dissertation was on policymakers' perceptions of poverty. Her papers have been published in various journals, including Policy Sciences, Social Policy & Administration, International Review of Administrative Science, Management & Governance, Poverty & Public Policy, Review of Public Personnel Administration, Journal of European Social Policy, and Policy Studies. Dr. Lahat has been a member of the Taub Center since 2009. Along with Dr. Sher-Hadar, she was the academic co-director of the research group studying collaborative governance in the Chazan Center at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute. She serves as a board member of ESPAnet Israel, and on the board of the Association for Israel Studies (AIS). She was a member of the executive board of the Political Science Association (2011-2013) and ran the “Outcome Oriented Management and Practice in Human Services Project” in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services (2013–2014). Furthermore, she served as the public representative on the Social Work Committee, advising the Israeli Minister of Social Affairs and Social Services (2018-2021). In the fall of 2018 (revisited in October 2022), she was a visiting researcher at the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies at Concordia University, Montreal. In Fall 2019, she was an Israel Institute Visiting Scholar at the Serling Institute at Michigan State University, US.
Prof. Nir Sharon
Senior Lecturer in Applied Mathematics School of Mathematical Sciences, Tel Aviv University. Main research interests:
Approximation on manifolds, Estimation problems over groups, Mathematics of electron microscopy, Geometric modelling, Numerical algorithms, Applied harmonic analysis.