The development of the ICT (Information and Communications Technology) service sector is one of the strategic priorities for the Georgian economy. The sector is characterized by the unique potential to contribute to the country’s long-term growth, create positive productivity spillovers into other industries, and, in the longer term, transform the existing industrial structure of Georgia by moving away from primary production and primary exports.

This quarterly report provides an analysis of economic trends, as well as denoting the challenges and opportunities (in local, regional, and global contexts) in the selected value chains within six sectors to improve evidence-based decision-making by providing quality information and analytics. These specific sectors are tourism, creative industries, light manufacturing, shared intellectual services, waste management, and recycling, along with cross-cutting sectors.

The Water Policy Outlook study aimed to compare and contrast existing policy frameworks against the long-term strategic plan and vision for the water sector by respective governments. The outlooks aimed to map the future policy challenges and policy reform opportunities required to achieve these long-term strategic objectives.

The Residential Sales Price Index (SPI) for Tbilisi increased moderately in April and May of 2021, however it decreased slightly in June and amounted to 114.4 index points (equaling 100 in the base period of January 2019). Compared to the second quarter of 2020, the SPI showed an increase in Q2 2021 – with the largest change of 7.9% (YoY) in June 2021.

This study attempts to identify the barriers youth entrepreneurship in Georgia faces and proposes interventions, which could be led by relevant actors within the ecosystem, to overcome the challenges. Following Isenberg’s Model of Entrepreneurship (2010) as the main analysis framework, we address the role of the current Policy, Finance, Culture, Supports, Human Capital, and Markets in the development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Georgia.