Studying at Georgian universities in the 1990s was ludicrous. The students or their parents negotiated with the heads of the exam committees and/or the deans of the faculties about the “terms and conditions”, i.e. the bribes that would have to be paid and the “services” that would be delivered in exchange.

The “do no harm” (primum non nocere) principle is well known to students of medical schools. It is one of the most fundamental maxims in medicine, as formulated, for example, in the Epidemics book of the Hippocratic Collection:

Green policies might stimulate growth in Georgia through various effects, depending on the sector they target. For example, monetizing emission reductions has a high potential for success and could be marketed to other countries as a sustainable solution to automotive emission.

The goal of this study was to examine Georgia's agricultural export performance and make recommendations for its improvement. The study shows that the current structure of agricultural exports in Georgia is characterized by high share of processed products. Nevertheless, Georgia's agricultural export is currently concentrated on a few export products and is heavily dependent on CIS countries, being thus vulnerable to political and climate shocks.

When thinking of “market distortions” we typically imagine government regulations, taxes, and subsidies that prevent market mechanisms from achieving an optimal outcome. For example, if you pay $100 for a 30-minute taxi ride (as is the case in many European capitals), you can easily relate it to a government regulation requiring all taxi drivers to be licensed (at a very high cost). In the absence of such a requirement, many more drivers would be able to enter the taxi driving profession, increasing supply and reducing prices.