ISET Policy Institute in cooperation with Japan Tabacco International (JTI) Georgia launched a free-of-charge training program “Leaders in Development” for policymakers, analysts, mid-level, and executives. The opening session held on May 24th welcomed the first cohort of 31 senior professionals and decision-makers coming from more than 15 public, private and non-profit organizations.

On Tuesday, May 24, Dr. David Ubilava from the University of Sidney gave a presentation entitled "The El Niño Southern Oscillation and Economic Growth”. Dr. Ubilava started the presentation with the definitions of such phenomena such as climate anomalies and weather and emphasized the importance of weather as a factor in agricultural production.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Georgian nation went through a process of rapid disinvestment and de-industrialization. It was forced to shut down industrial plants, sending scrap metal abroad, and workers into subsistence farming. Hunger has never become an issue thanks to the country’s moderate climate and good soil conditions, yet inequality and associated political pressures rapidly reached catastrophic dimensions, unleashing cycles of violence, undermining the political order, and inhibiting prospects of economic growth.

Policy Institute together with Japan Tabacco International (JTI) Georgia offers free of charge training program "Leaders in Development". The program is designed for policy makers, analysts, mid-level and senior executives from both public and private sectors. Senior decision makers as well as senior professional staff will find the program extremely useful for their work.

One of the most fundamental assumptions in mainstream economics is the rationality of humans. Yet, as argued by Timothy A. Pychyl, professor of psychology at Carleton University in Canada, frequently observed procrastinating behavior, i.e. the “needless voluntary delay” (Pychyl), cannot be reconciled with the rational man paradigm.