Economic development of the municipalities (outside capital) is one of the key sustainable development challenges in Georgia. The capital city of Tbilisi, while accounting for nearly 1/3 of the country’s population generates 50% of GDP and keeps expanding, whereas the municipalities, with few exceptions, are losing population and suffering from high incidence of poverty, unemployment, and slow and weak economic development.

On April 4th, ISET Policy Institute hosted a public seminar with discussions centered around air pollution, poverty, and equity in Tbilisi. Led by Alan Fuchs and Sandra Baquie from the Poverty and Equity Global Practice at the World Bank, the public seminar titled 'Poverty and Distributional Consequences of Air Pollution in Tbilisi' provided a platform for in-depth exploration and dialogue on this pressing issue.

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

On 18 October, Tamar Sulukhia, Director of the ISET Policy Institute, took part in a panel discussion dedicated to the launch of the Systemic Country Diagnostic (SCD) Update for Georgia during an event organized by the World Bank. The report, entitled “Georgia: Keeping the Reform Momentum”, provides a comprehensive analysis of the developmental challenges and opportunities that the country requires to accelerate progress toward a reduction in poverty alongside shared prosperity in a sustainable manner.

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.