Tobacco consumption is widely known for its negative effects on health. According to the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, just in the USA, an estimated 443,000 people die per year prematurely due to inhaling cigarette smoke. As there are 46 million smokers in the USA, it means that in any given year, the likelihood to “die prematurely” because of one’s smoking habit is almost 1% (under the admittedly strong assumption that these numbers are constant in the long run). If one smokes for 10 years, the probability that one’s life will be cut short goes up to 9%.

On Friday, February 13, 2015, a debate on a new law on agricultural land ownership was held at Expo Georgia. The debate was organized by USAID’s G4G project and ISET. The debate’s panel comprised government officials, experts, foreign investors, and businesses, and the event was moderated by Eric Livny, Director of the International School of Economics.

The study assesses a possible impact of USAID-funded agricultural projects in Georgia on U.S. commodity production and U.S. jobs and workers rights. USAID's yearly obligation requires confirmation that USAID-funded activities do not impact U.S. jobs and workers rights and do not result in increased competition of Georgian products with similar commodities produced in the U.S.

On December 4 and 5, Head of the Agricultural Policy Research Center at the ISET Policy Institute Pati Mamardashvili and Senior Research Associate Salome Gelashvili participated in the National Conference for Agricultural Information and Consultancy Centers of the Ministry of Agriculture sponsored by USAID/SEAS Project.

The Georgian government is currently working on the draft of a new Code on Spatial Planning and Construction, with the aim of increasing the safety of new constructions while consolidating the great achievements obtained in terms of effectiveness in the delivery of construction permits.