According to a nationally representative sample of 339 Georgians interviewed in early March 2019, the Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) slightly improved by 0.3 index points, from -19.2 in February to -18.9 in March. A similar pattern was observed in both sub-indices: the Present Situation Index increased by 0.2 (from -23.8 to -23.6), and the Expectations Index by 0.4 index points (from -14.6 to -14.1) compared to February.

Have you ever wondered why the color of the United National Movement (UNM) is red while Georgian Dream (GD) is blue? Why not green and orange? It might be that red and blue offer a contrast, and they also symbolize quite different things. And, contrast is indeed what they each seek. These two parties have dominated Georgian politics since 2012, and it is now difficult to recall the subject they built a consensus around or even one that they have tried to discuss.

On April 3, ISET hosted a knowledge-sharing event by ADB Regional Gender Consultant, Ketevan Chkheidze. The public lecture (which was entitled ‘Gender in Development: Practices, Challenges and Opportunities’) was dedicated to the issue of developing gender equality in the context of Georgia.

In February 2019, Georgian power plants generated 939 million kWh of electricity, which compared to the previous year represents a 0.5% increase in total generation. On the demand side, consumption amounted to 1,037 mln. kWh, a 2% decrease on an annual basis. Although the negative gap between generation and consumption decreased by 22% (from -126 to -98 mln. kWh), compared to the corresponding month of the previous year, it remained substantial.

In March 2019, Georgian power plants generated 974 mln. kWh of electricity. This represents a 2.2% decrease in total generation, compared to the previous year (in 2018, total generation in March was 997 mln. kWh.) The decrease in generation on a yearly basis comes from the decrease in hydro power generation (-30%), more than offsetting the increase in thermal and wind power generation (+98% and +42%).