On 2 November, ISET hosted a public seminar ‘Poverty and Inequity: Worldwide and

In economic literature, the effect of minimum wage on the labour market and its relevance as an anti-poverty, equality-enhancing policy tool, is a matter of vigorous debate. The focus of this policy brief is a hypothetical effect on poverty rates, particularly among women, following an increase in the minimum wage in Georgia.

Gender inequality has been a persistent (albeit steadily improving) problem for years. The COVID-induced crisis put women in a disproportionately disadvantaged position, jeopardizing decades of progress achieved towards equality between men and women.

The SCGEI (South Caucasus Gender Equality Index) provides policy-makers, independent researchers and the general public with a unique evidence-based tool to inform policy actions, an objective way of measuring gender inequality, and an inclusive platform to initiate dialogue and further analysis of the underlying issues and potential solutions.

This paper analyses income distribution and poverty reduction in Georgia in the period 2010 to 2017/2018. As we have no data for 2019, our findings do not relate to the most recent distributional policies of the Georgian government. Our results suggest that while Georgia has substantially reduced poverty and income inequality, continuous monitoring of the situation would be helpful.