Is it possible to make long-term predictions on how climate change and the economy co-evolve as a means to understand the impact climate change has on the economy? Or for that matter, in what ways governments could encourage technological innovation in order to assure the continuation of economic growth?

As a key finding in this year’s EPI-scoring, air quality keeps deteriorating human health in such a manner that it is considered as “…the leading environmental threat to public health” (EPI, 2018). The exposure of pollution and its particles from e.g. heavy traffic is a contributing factor. In Sweden, the transporting sector constitutes 1/3 of the total CO2 emissions.

Once dubbed Georgia's Abu Ghraib, Gldani Prison #8 has gone through a substantial makeover since its darkest hours in September 2012. The entire staff was replaced or retrained during 2013, swiftly and effectively ending human rights violations. The following year, the prison won a prestigious award as Georgia’s best correctional facility. In 2015, about 180ha in the prison’s backyard became home to Bitfury, an international bitcoin industry pioneer.

On 24-25 August 2017, the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University (ISET) with the support of the Einaudi Institute for Economics and Finance, the Tbilisi State University, and the Italian Embassy in Tbilisi (Georgia) are organizing a Workshop on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. The objective is to bring together researchers active in the field and to create an opportunity to generate discussion and interaction between local academics and policymakers and international researchers.

All over the world, the quest for technological innovation is proceeding with great intensity. Georgia is not an exception. While local universities are trying to build fab-labs (fabrication laboratories – small-scale workshops offering personal digital fabrication), the government has established the Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency (GITA) to support the creation of start-ups and tech companies.