On December 16, in cooperation with MOLI, ISET organized a dialogue on “The Role of Leaders in Modernizing Georgian Agriculture”. The MOLI (Market Opportunities for Livelihood Improvement) project is implemented by the HEKS/EPER office in South Caucasus with the support of the Swiss Government.

On December 12-14, two ISET-PI researchers, Maka Chitanava and Giorgi Mzhavanadze attended the Good Jobs for Inclusive Growth in Central Asia and South Caucasus study finalization conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This study was commissioned by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and implemented by eight Central Asian and South Caucasus countries.

A researcher of the Private Sector Development Policy Research Centre, Olga Azhgibetseva, attended a three-week intensive training program in Sweden.

After a temporary increase at the end of October, driven by seasonal fruits and vegetables, in the last two weeks of November, ISET’s Retail Food Price Index decreased by 0.1% m/m (compared to the last week of October) and 12.1% y/y (compared to November 2015). We recorded the biggest drops for bananas (-12%), tomatoes (-12%), and beef (-7%). On the other hand, prices increased most for cabbage (10%), plums (8%), and cucumber (2%).

Teimuraz Gogsadze, a graduate of ISET's Class of 2011, joined the International Taxation Division of the Tax Policy Department at the Ministry of Finance of Georgia in May 2011. He worked on such interesting projects as the double taxation avoidance agreement and agreements on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters, gaining invaluable experience at the Ministry of Finance. Having spent almost a year at the Ministry and inspired by the experience regarding taxation matters, Teimuraz decided to continue his studies with a PhD program. In April 2012, he joined the PhD program in Economics at the University of Leicester, where his supervisors were Professors Sanjit Dhami and Ali al-Nowaihi.