Do development projects reach their stated objectives, such as reducing poverty, improving skills, creating jobs, etc.? This turns out to be a complicated question about project impact that a simple before-and-after measurement would not help answering. Why? The answer is also complicated, of course, but here are two points to consider:
First, when a country goes through a rapid modernization process, as is arguably the case in Georgia, most development indicators improve over time regardless of specific donor interventions.
Second, even if we observe a...
ISET Economist Blog
A blog about economics in the South Caucasus.
Oct
19
Sep
18
Ukraine’s agriculture started progressing after the land reforms of 2001, which established an effective land rental market. While the titles to land still belong to former kolkhoz and sovkhoz members, agricultural land can now be easily aggregated and leased to interested businesses. Given the ease of entering and exiting the industry (and of extending farm size), this reform has unleashed a fast process of land consolidation (particularly until 2008) and productivity growth. Some of Ukraine’s largest farms currently span close to 150,000ha. For c...
Sep
13
On June 28, the Georgian Parliament passed a bill imposing a moratorium on land acquisition by foreigners and foreign-owned legal entities till the end of 2014. The bill effectively reversed an earlier policy that welcomed foreigners to settle and invest in Georgia’s agricultural sector, a policy culminating in the seemingly outlandish program seeking to bring to Georgia – and offer fast-track naturalization to – dozens of expert farmers from South Africa.
Rattled by this policy reversal, groups representing the expat business community in Georgia are tr...
Jul
15
On Monday evening I am taking the express train from Tbilisi to Samtredia with my wife and two kids (business class, 120GEL). We plan to stay overnight in a little family hotel (40GEL), and at 6.30am we’ll board the Wizz Air flight to Katowice, Poland, at the cost €40 a person and €35 per suitcase (one way). Seat reservations, luggage, train and guesthouse included, the roundtrip to Poland will cost my family around €700 compared to €1,500-2,000 using any other, conventional option. A real bargain! (even if we ignore the fact that my wife’s family is act...
Our Partners
