
Three Lead Economists from the ISET Policy Institute – Davit Keshelava, Mariam Lobjanidze, and Giorgi Papava – participated in the prestigious Growth Academy 2025, held in Bucharest, Romania, from May 22 to 24, 2025. The event, jointly organized by the World Bank, the University of Chicago, and the National Bank of Romania, brought together leading academics, policymakers, and development practitioners from across the Europe and Central Asia (ECA) region.

On April 28, 2025, the ISET hosted a special seminar featuring the presentation of the World Bank’s latest report, “Navigating Fiscal Realities for Equitable Growth in Georgia,” developed with support from the Kingdom of Sweden.

Economic development of the municipalities (outside capital) is one of the key sustainable development challenges in Georgia. The capital city of Tbilisi, while accounting for nearly 1/3 of the country’s population generates 50% of GDP and keeps expanding, whereas the municipalities, with few exceptions, are losing population and suffering from high incidence of poverty, unemployment, and slow and weak economic development.

The Media Polarization Index remained high in February, influenced by restrictive laws that suppress demonstrations, controversial regulations affecting the media, and a Foreign Agents Registration Act-like (FARA) law. In addition, significant events such as a major tragedy in Batumi, heavy snowfall in Guria, and developments in Trump's foreign policy contributed to the polarized environment.

Giorgi Papava, Lead Economist and Practice Head for private sector development policy at ISET Policy Institute, represented Georgia at the prestigious International Scientific Conference "Distributed Profit Taxation – Polish and worldwide perspective" on December 9, 2024, at the SGH Warsaw School of Economics in Poland.