When speaking about unemployment, arguably the sorest problem in many market economies, “better education” is one of the standard remedies proposed by economists. This recommendation is given to rich and poor countries alike. Yet since I am in Georgia, I am increasingly skeptical about this recipe. To what extent can the education and training of people, or, to use the economic term, the accumulation of human capital, foster economic development? In Georgia, you may have studied law and you really know your trade, but there is an oversupply of lawyers, a...

Not long ago I heard an interesting statement from an appreciated person about schooling. He said that the "one-size-fits-all" or "factory" model of schools was an inefficient use of the children's time. According to his opinion, homeschooling could be more effective and yield better outcomes than standard mass education. There is no doubt that the school system children are exposed to have an impact on their developments, starting at a relatively early age. So the topic is important for every country, but in particular for a country like Georg...

According to the Law of Georgia on Medical Activity[1], postgraduate medical education can take place only in accredited institutions and/or medical schools from March 2009 onwards. This seems to be a good initiative. Presumably, the goals of this law were to promote higher quality education for future doctors in the country and to deliver higher quality healthcare to the population of Georgia. These are relevant goals, of course, as the life of a human being in terms of both length and quality is and should be the most serious concern for every country....

  MATH EDUCATION AND GROWTH: RECENT EVIDENCE Mathematical literacy has always been a key factor in improving a country’s productivity and competitiveness. Stanford University’s Eric Hanushek has shown that there is a positive relationship between students’ performance in mathematics tests and economic growth. This is not at all surprising. Proficiency in math implies a high-level of cognitive skills among the labour force, in other words a high quality of human capital, which leads to technological innovation and productivity gains. Another more re...

The private provision of childcare in Georgia’s cities has been on the rise during the last few years as is especially evident in the capital. Many of the new private kindergartens (KG) are said to provide very good quality services, helping enrich the set of preschool educational choices available to parents (or, rather, their children). Private KGs may be quite a bit more expensive relative to the public alternative, yet their share of the market is increasing over time, suggesting that more and more Georgian families are willing to pay a premium for b...

As reported in our Khachapuri Index Column, the prices of key khachapuri ingredients have started rising in July, given their strong correlation with the annual cycle of agricultural production in Georgia. A standard portion of Imeretian khachapuri can now be cooked at slightly more than 3GEL, on average. Now, while 3GEL does not sound like a lot for the expats and the better off Georgians, it may be beyond reach for many of the less fortunate Georgian households. To remind ourselves: about 9.2% of Georgia’s population (close to 400,000 people) are ...