The radicalization of Islam and the Russian-Turkish spat affect the security of the South Caucasus energy supply corridor and shed new light on the prospects of Russian-Georgian economic relations. The challenges and opportunities related to the new security threats were the main topics of discussion at a forum organized by the Caucasian House.

The Investor Council (IC), coordinated by the EBRD, has been established in 2015 to provide a dialog platform between Georgia’s major business associations and government. Co-chaired by Georgia’s PM Giorgi Kvirikashvili and EBRD Director for the South Caucasus, Belarus, and Moldova, Bruno Balvanera, IC’s February 17 meeting focused on three key issues.

Once the wealthiest Soviet republic, Georgia has since fallen far behind other post-Soviet states (except for, perhaps, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Moldova) in almost any parameter of wellbeing. Adjusted for purchasing power parity, Georgia’s annual income per capita in 2012 was close to $5,900 (a little higher than in resources-poor Armenia).

On January 26th, ISET hosted a discussion on urban mobility in Tbilisi. The event was co-organized with Iare Pekhit, a non-profit organization that lobbies, advocates, and organizes for the rights of pedestrians. Iare Pekhit is creating space for discussion between urban activists, lawyers, and decision-makers on our city's pedestrian issues to drive the change desperately needed.

On January 14-16, 2016 ISET-PI’s Senior Researcher Nino Doghonadze attended a conference centered on the discussion of, “Economics, Health and Happiness” in Lugano, Switzerland. The conference brought together interdisciplinary researchers from approximately 60 countries.