ISET

Reassessing tariff policies: implications of U.S. reciprocal tariffs for global trade and Georgia's economy

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Business confidence remains negative

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Georgia municipal liveability index

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Is Georgia facing the risk of accelerated brain drain

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The cost of deteriorated business confidence: how political uncertainty threatens Georgian economy

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WHO WE ARE

ISET Policy Institute provides independent policy research, analysis, and training, and it reaches out to the broader academic, policy and business community, as well as the general public. Our key areas of expertise are in Agricultural Policy, Macroeconomic Policy, Energy & Environment, Private Sector Development, and Inclusive growth. Within these sectors, ISET maintains a portfolio of regular indices and analytical publications, and implements externally financed projects.

Media & democracy

Energy & Environment

Governance

Inclusive growth

Macroeconomic stability

Agriculture & Rural

Competitiveness

ReforMeter

RIAcademy

MediaTOR

Gender

Climate & Green Dev

Covid 19

Indexes

Media Depolarization Index

Explores and measures the dynamics of media polarization in Georgia; looks at media polarization as a proxy for political polarization.

Agri Review

Summarizes the major developments in the agricultural sector and provides brief analysis of the related economic indicators.

Business Confidence Index

Comprises seven sector-specific sub-indices covering services, retail trade, agriculture, manufacturing, financial services, construction and other sectors.

Consumer Confidence Index

Measures the degree of optimism that consumers feel about the overall state of the economy and their personal financial situation.

Electricity Market Review

Analyses the main trends and key events in Georgia’s electricity market.

Energy Market Review: Discontinued

Analyses the main trends and key events in Georgia’s energy sector, including electricity, oil, and gas.

GDP Forecast

Provides current-quarter and one-quarter-ahead GDP forecasts for those who need to make business and policy decisions and cannot wait until the official statistics are announced several months later.

Gender Equality Index

Following an EU methodology and taking into account regional context, the Index measures progress towards gender equality among 12 former soviet countries.

Khachapuri Index

Inspired by the Big Mac Index of the Economist magazine, it tracks inflation by using the most popular Georgian Food, the Khachapuri.

Macroeconomic Review

Offers a comprehensive review and an economic interpretation of the existing data trends, which are based on monthly statistics from GeoStat, NBG, and other sources.

REMLab: Discontinued

According to the best global practices, residential and commercial real estate price indices are calculated using several measures

Publications

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Date

Reassessing tariff policies: implications of U.S. reciprocal tariffs for global trade and Georgia's economy

In 2025, President Donald Trump reintroduced a sweeping tariff policy as a central element of his economic agenda. Framed as a “universal baseline tariff,” the new measures impose a 10% duty on all imports and introduce even higher reciprocal tariffs on countries with large trade surpluses with the United States. These policies mark a continuation and an escalation of Trump’s earlier protectionist approach during his first term.

Date

Georgia municipal liveability index

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.

Date

24 February 2025

The cost of deteriorated business confidence: how political uncertainty threatens Georgian economy

This policy brief examines the role of business confidence as a predictor of economic development. It focuses on the impact of recent political instability and economic uncertainty, drawing insights from both Georgian data and international experience.

Projects

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Development of Methodology for Child-Rights-Based Budget Analysis

The project, Development of Methodology for Child-Rights-Based Budget Analysis, funded by UNICEF, aims to create a systematic approach for analyzing public budgets in Georgia through the lens of child rights. Its objective is to ensure that public financial decisions prioritize children’s needs, promote equity, and align with international standards such as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

01.01.2025

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Enhancing Export Potential of Georgian SMEs in Selected Sectors

This joint initiative by ISET Policy Institute and Policy and Management Consulting Group, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the European Union (EU), aims to boost Georgian SMEs' exports to European markets.

02.09.2024

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News and Events

World Bank presents new Sweden-funded report in ISET on fiscal policy & equity

Public lecture recap: “Potemkin Growth” with Levan Nadibaidze

ISET Economist Blog

28 February 2025

Tamar Sulukhia, Davit Keshelava

Is Georgia facing the risk of accelerated brain drain

Today Georgia is facing an increasing risk of brain drain. In recent years, Georgia has been experiencing a brain drain, with an increasing number of skilled professionals, young workers, and students leaving the country in search of better economic opportunities and stability. Since independence, the outmigration of Georgians has been mostly driven by economic factors – jobs, higher wages, better working conditions, and career advancement opportunities abroad.

08 January 2025

OpEd: Institutions matter – risks Georgia’s independent institutions face

In the globally very turbulent 2024, Georgia was under the spotlight in the global arena, but not for a good reason and with nothing to celebrate. On the contrary, this spotlight was earned by its government’s risky shift away from the EU trajectory and, post the 26 October Parliamentary election, the powerful, non-stop peaceful street protests of the pro-European population in the capital Tbilisi and other cities, those demanding free and fair new elections.

Sopha Gujabidze, Tamar Sulukhia

Policy panel: current economic challenges and opportunities in Georgia

The Policy Panel: Current Economic Challenges and Opportunities in Georgia was sponsored and organized by ISET Policy Institute as part of the 1st International Conference of the Georgian Economic Association on July 2, 2024, at Stamba.