Gal
Bitton

Gal Bitton is a political scientist in the direct PhD track in the School of Political Science, Government and International Affairs at Tel Aviv University under the supervision of Prof. Tal Sadeh.

Gal’s field of study is international political economy, and her main interests are global monetary and financial relations, currency internationalization, and cultural finance.

Gal developed a culture-based theory that seeks to examine the effect of cultural factors on policymakers’ financial decisions through macro (government policy) and micro (individual preferences) levels of analysis. Her findings demonstrate that in financial decision- making individuals have strong incentives to bias interactions toward in-group members while introducing indifference, hostility, or distrust toward out-group members. Hence, in-group favouritism decreases the cooperativeness and harmony that are essential for any functioning society; understanding the roots of cooperation, or lack thereof, is, therefore, of great significance.

Gal was born and raised in Kiryat Shmona and currently lives there with her two dogs. She has a BA and an MA in political science from Tel Aviv University. Gal teaches at both Tel Aviv University and Reichman University and provides academic assistance to undergraduate students from the Arab population. In the coming years, as part of the Azrieli Fellowship, Gal intends to use her academic skills and volunteering experience to help improve the welfare of citizens in Kiryat Shmona. In her free time, Gal loves practising yoga and playing board games.