ISET was honored to host a third delegation representing the long-time partner, the Norwegian School of Economics in Bergen. A four-day program included anti-corruption seminars, public discussions, and site visits to relevant public institutions and businesses.

The main goal of these events was for Georgian and Norwegian students to have a better understanding of the political and socio-economic context of Georgia’s anti-corruption reforms, what worked and what did not work. Georgia is internationally recognized for its successes in reforming the public sector, improving the quality of public services, and eliminating corruption. Georgia’s experience – both positive and negative – carries lessons both for its current policymakers and development practitioners around the world.

The NHH delegation consisted of 30 students and faculty members. It was led by Astrid Foldal, Head of International Relations, NHH, and Kasper Vagle, Research Scholar and Ph.D. Candidate at NHH.

The aim of the current phase in our collaboration with NHH is to develop a dual degree program in energy and environmental economics. The project is supported by Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Education (Senter for internasjonalisering av utdanning (SIU)). SIU funding will also provide ISET students and faculty with the opportunity to spend some time on the NHH campus in Bergen, participate in research seminars, and take advanced courses that are not available at ISET.

The academic partnership with the Norwegian School of Economics is a major step towards making ISET a truly international program. NHH is the latest addition to the list of ISET international partners which already includes such premier European institutions as HEC Lausanne, the Stockholm School of Economics, and the University of Bielefeld.

The Norwegian School of Economics is a business school situated in Bergen, Norway. Opened in 1936 by King Haakon VII, it is Norway's oldest business school and has since its foundation been a leading Norwegian teaching and research institution in the fields of economics and business administration. The school celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2011.