Prof. Iris BenDavid-Hadar is an internationally recognized scholar in the fields of economics of education, education finance policy, and educational equity, whose research has significantly advanced understanding of how resource allocation shapes educational opportunity, justice, and outcomes within diverse societies. Her scholarship integrates economic theory, public policy analysis, and comparative education to examine inequalities in schooling systems, with particular attention to needs-based funding models, achievement gaps, and the balance between equity and efficiency in education governance. She has produced an extensive body of peer-reviewed books, journal articles, and book chapters that are widely cited and influential in debates on school finance reform, social justice in education, and higher education policy, including work on student mobility, internationalization, refugees’ access to education, early childhood education policy, and financial literacy. Her contributions often bridge research and policymaking, offering analytically rigorous yet policy-relevant insights that inform national and international decision-makers. In addition to her scholarly output, she has held senior academic leadership roles, contributing to faculty development, evaluation, institutional compliance, and program-level strategic planning, while mentoring doctoral and master’s researchers and collaborating within international research networks. Through editorial leadership, interdisciplinary collaboration, and sustained engagement with comparative and international perspectives, her work continues to shape contemporary discussions on fairness, equality, and justice in education systems, emphasizing evidence-based policy solutions aimed at reducing disparities and improving educational outcomes for marginalized and diverse populations.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid | Google Scholar

Featured Publications

Meoded, R., & BenDavid-Hadar, I. (2025). Fiscal decentralization of education: A social network analysis of values underlying local decision-making processes. International Journal of Educational Development, 103, 103444.

Meoded, R., & BenDavid-Hadar, I. (2025). Education policy in culturally diverse countries: The case of ultra-Orthodox schools in Israel. Research Papers in Education.

Malki-Levy, S., Altman, C., Shnitzer-Meirovich, S., & Ben-David Hadar, I. (2025). Impact of bilingual intervention on Arabic–Hebrew speaking children: Investigation of the dynamics between SES and bilingualism. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism.

Gilead, T., & BenDavid-Hadar, I. (2025). Educational justice and formula funding: A complex adaptive systems perspective. Educational Philosophy and Theory.

Betser-Nahum, Y., & BenDavid-Hadar, I. (2025). The municipalities efficiency in Israel: The case of the provision of educational services. International Journal of Educational Development, 103, 103370.