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.

The ISET Policy Institute has once again demonstrated its relevance and focus on regional economic research with the publication of a research paper in the 117th issue of the Caucasus Analytical Digest (CAD), a bimonthly online magazine. The Institute’s article, 'International Diversification of Agricultural Trade of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia', was written by Phatima Mamardashvili, Salome Gelashvili, Ia Katsia, and Salome Deisadze and examined the agricultural trade relations of the three South Caucasus countries from 2002-2018.

May 11 saw the second discussion in ISET's ongoing series of international policy online panels which examine the possible socio-economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The second panel was dedicated to what the higher education sector will look like when the pandemic is declared to be over.

We live in a world where the production of a single good typically involves manufacturing inputs from many different countries around the globe. For example, a typical iPhone production takes place in as many as 7 countries, including the USA, Mongolia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, China, and even Switzerland. This is what is known to economists as global value chains (GVC). The emergence of GVC more than two decades ago transformed the way economists think about countries’ comparative advantage and specialization in production.

ISET’s BA Program in Economics is now accredited by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) until 2025. The program is recognized by UK NARIC at the same level as a UK undergraduate degree. BA students undertaking CIMA courses will also be exempted from taking CIMA exams, thereby earning CIMA qualifications.