Georgia’s current rank in the ease of “hiring and firing practices” and “redundancy costs” (weeks of salary an employer is required to pay a dismissed worker) is 9th and 13th, respectively (World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report, 2012-13).

The ability of families to meet their most basic needs is an important measure for the development of a country. Poverty touches on questions of human dignity and fairness in society, but beyond that, poverty causes problems that may impair long-run economic prospects, like crime, social unrest, and underinvestment in human capital.

Georgia is flooded with cheap Turkish products: tasteless winter tomatoes, clothes, construction materials, you name it. Turkish goods are everywhere – in specialized shops in central Tbilisi, supermarkets, and the Eliava Bazroba.

Recent strikes of minibus drivers in Tbilisi have reminded all of us about the long-forgotten issue of labor rights in Georgia. Since the new government came to power at the beginning of October, employee protests have become a regular “inconvenience”.

On February 15, 2013, Professor Hans Wiesmeth, vice-president of the Saxon Academy of Sciences, delivered a presentation titled “Integrated Environmental Policies: Supporting the Sustainable Development of Georgia” to the academic community at the National Science Academy of Georgia. The event was initiated and supported by ISET.