Scienceיחזקאל דרור

Yehezkel Dror

Yehezkel Dror was an Austrian-born Israeli political scientist and Hebrew University professor known for his work on public policy and for the concept of "crazy states".

1928 to 2026The concept of "crazy states"Public policy and administration researchMembership in the Winograd Commission

Born: 12 August 1928, Vienna
Died: 1 January 2026, Jerusalem
Occupation: public administration scholar, political scientist, professor, university teacher
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Harvard Law School, Hebrew Reali School

Yehezkel Dror was born in 1928 in Vienna

Dror was born in Vienna in 1928 as Arthur Freiman. He moved with his family to Mandate Palestine in 1938, and they settled in Haifa. He finished the Hebrew Reali School there in 1946.

During the War of Independence he served as a manpower planning officer in the General Staff. He then studied social sciences and law at the Hebrew University and received a law license in 1954. He earned a doctorate at Harvard University in 1956.

He joined the Hebrew University's political science department in 1957 and became a full professor in 1972. In 1968 he went to the RAND Corporation, where he developed the idea of "crazy states", described in a 1971 book. He wrote on policymaking, public administration, governance and security.

Dror advised the Israeli government on policy and planning and was the first president of the Jewish People Policy Institute. In 2006 he was appointed to the Winograd Commission on the Second Lebanon War. He received the Israel Prize in 2005.

In 1954 he married educational researcher Rachel Elboim-Dror, and they had 3 sons. He died on 1 January 2026 and donated his body to science.