As I am writing these lines, Russian tanks are moving deeper into the territory of my country, Ukraine, and emotions are threatening to overwhelm me. But emotions cannot shake what we, as economics scholars, value the most: devotion to truth and careful, impartial use of facts and logic to arrive at conclusions.
For the first quarter of 2022, business confidence in Georgia decreased (by 13.3 index points) and reached 17.3. The highest decrease in business confidence is observed in service (-25.8), manufacturing (-20.8), and wholesale and retail trade (-16.1) sectors.
In January 2022, Georgian power plants generated 1025 mln. kWh of electricity (Figure 1). This represents a 27% increase in total generation, compared to the previous year (in January 2021, the total generation was 808 mln. kWh). The increase in generation on a yearly basis comes from the increase of 11%, 49%, and 30% in hydropower, thermal, and wind power generation, respectively.
On 17 February, ReforMeter hosted its first public-private dialogue on E-commerce reform. The event highlighted the core issues, challenges, and recommendations behind the creation of a Georgian E-commerce policy.
Gender Impact Assessments (GIAs) for selected government programs and policies, specifically focuses on a draft legislative amendment to Georgia's Public Registry law and a package of legislative amendments regarding the status of single parents. In collaboration with ISET Policy Institute, UN Women is providing technical assistance to the National Agency of Public Registry and the Gender Equality Council of the Parliament of Georgia.