Nobel-winning economist James Heckman proclaimed that “the data speak for itself” after he carried out an experiment known as the 'Perry pre-School Project' and discovered that investing in high-quality preschool education brings returns of around 14 percent – a rate of return that is much higher than standard returns on stock market equity (7.2 percent).

On April 6, ISET hosted a seminary by World Bank Senior Director on Gender Ms. Caren Grown, on Gender Equality as a Smart Development Policy in Georgia. Ms. Caren Grown was invited as part of the anti-corruption course jointly organized by ISET and the NHH (the Norwegian School of Economics).

On February 20, ISET students delivered yet another policy seminar. The seminar was opened by Eric Livny, the president of ISET, who delivered an inspirational speech regarding the jobs of the future. He posed the question, “In this rapidly changing world, what do we need to teach schoolchildren today so that their skills and knowledge are still relevant ten or twenty years from now?”.

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.

Along with a recent interview by a Japanese journalist on regional economics and the attendance of a Japanese student in the Class of 2018, ISET is broadening its Japanese experience with a visit to Tokyo.