Christopher Hitchens, one of the greatest public intellectuals of the last four decades, famously said 'The only way for any country to get out of poverty is the empowerment of women'. Everyone at ISET would no doubt agree with him – Professor Norberto Pignatti in particular, whose latest publication examines how increasing women's participation in the labor force is important for sustainable economic development in transition countries.

While COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the current investment expenditure of Georgian ICT companies, investment and hiring is set to increase in the future for most firms in this sector.

Agricultural and rural development play an important role in the country’s socio-economic development. The restrictions imposed during the pandemic have hindered spring agricultural works which have significantly worsened conditions for farmers and stalled their future potential. Consequently, the Georgian government developed an anti-crisis plan, “Caring for Farmers and Agriculture”, that was presented on 12 March. The proposal entails two forms of aid: direct assistance and sectoral support.

On the 17th of January, the Government of Georgia approved the Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) Methodology. This is an incredible step towards evidence-based policy-making that will contribute to the country’s economic development and future prosperity.

The ISET-PI team provided training in macroeconomic forecasting and tools for independent policy research to the staff of the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) of Tajikistan.