What would Christmas be without a Christmas tree? In Georgia, in Europe, or anywhere else in the world. But little known to most Europeans, most trees sold in Europe can trace their origin to Georgia.
Since November 2011, ISET Policy Institute has been implementing a project with ProCredit Bank, Georgia the aim of which is to introduce the Bank's employees to the basic principles of economics.
This weekend we visited one of the more remote parts of Georgia, the Shiraki plains at the border to Azerbaijan. After passing through Dedoplis Tskaro, the district capital and largest town in this part of Georgia, we found ourselves on a bad road going all the way to the small town of Kasritstkali.
Recently, I attended a show by the famous Erisioni dancing group, which was performing in Georgia for the first time after two years of constant traveling abroad. The Georgian dancers in traditional costumes were sensational, but as an economist, a minor incident caught my attention nearly as much as the Erisioni ensemble.
A promising development, jury trials might help reduce the perception of a lack of judiciary independence in Georgia. A key aspect of well-working jury trials is a sufficiently large jury size.