Yuval Feldman is the Mori Lazarof Professor of Legal Research at Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law and director of the ERC-funded Voluntary Compliance Lab. His research focuses on behavioral analysis of law, compliance, and regulation.

Yuval Feldman, Can the Public Be Trusted? The Promise and Perils of Voluntary Compliance, Tuesday, January 28^th 2026, 15.00 CET; 14.00 London Time; 16.00 Jerusalem Time; 9.00 Eastern Time.

This webinar explores a central paradox in modern governance: why governments rely on coercion and punishment when voluntary cooperation often produces better, more sustainable outcomes. Drawing from his forthcoming book Can the Public Be Trusted? The Promise and Perils of Voluntary Compliance (CUP 2025), Professor Feldman examines the dynamics of when citizens willingly follow rules versus when they comply out of fear, using examples from tax collection, COVID-19 pandemic responses, and environmental protection policies. Through insights from law, psychology, and behavioral economics, the talk will address why regulators hesitate to trust the public despite evidence supporting the effectiveness of voluntary compliance over heavy-handed enforcement. Professor Feldman will present a framework for understanding how cultural and technological factors shape citizen cooperation, discussing evidence-based approaches for policymakers seeking to design regulations that balance government authority with public partnership. The presentation will examine the conditions under which trust-based approaches succeed and when they may prove counterproductive, exploring practical considerations for policy design, legal practice, and public administration.