Despite spectacular growth performance during the past several years (averaging more than 6% since 2005), Georgia remains a poor country. In 2011, Georgia’s GDP per capita reached USD 3,215, just below the average for small island states in the Pacific and just above Guatemala.

After the break-up of the Soviet Union, Georgia went through a process of civil war and economic collapse. Official estimates suggest that Georgia’s GDP shrunk by more than 70% between 1990 and1994.

As reported in our Khachapuri Index Column, the prices of key khachapuri ingredients have started rising in July, given their strong correlation with the annual cycle of agricultural production in Georgia.

The objective of the study was to conduct detailed analysis of the existing funding mechanisms of early learning in Georgia, do a costing of alternative models of provision per child, develop and suggest sustainable financial and legal scenarios, relevant in the Georgian context. ISET-PI was commissioned by UNICEF to design and assess the costing of alternative finance strategies for preschool education in Georgia.

I was happy to see that my blog post “Who needs a safety net?” stimulated a lively debate, which was exactly its purpose. However, so many points have been raised that I have decided to write a new post on the topic rather than answering each one of them separately.