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Florian Biermann
Mar
20

Has The Orthodox Church Been Too Successful?

Governance and Social Policy
For a long time, it has been a taboo to criticize the Orthodox Church in Georgia. Quite recently, however, the clergymen themselves lifted this taboo by publicly carrying out their conflicts. The visit of Pope Francis in September 2016 sparked a plethora of mutual accusations. Archpriest Davit Isakadze was against the Pope’s visit and blamed the two other Archpriests Toedore Gignadze and Aleksandre Galdava for being sectarians and church enemies. These accusations were rebutted by Archpriests Levan Mateshvili and Ilia Chigladze, who called for protecting...
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Eric Livny
Georgian church: a victim of own success?I am not sure. The high esteem and wealth enjoyed by the Georgian church are evidence not... Read More
Tuesday, 21 March 2017 11:11 AM
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Florian Biermann
Apr
10

The Impact of Religion on Georgia’s Economy

Governance and Social Policy
According to a study from 2015 by WIN/Gallup, 93% of Georgians consider themselves to be religious. There is only one country in the world which has a higher rate, namely Thailand, where this number stands at 94%, while the same percentage of religious people as in Georgia could only be found in Armenia, Bangladesh, and Morocco. All other nations of the world are less enchanted about religion. Worldwide, on average only 63% of people say they are believers, and in some countries, like China and Japan, the number goes down to 7% and 13%, respectively. Giv...
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religion georgia corruption
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Recent Comments
Simon Appleby
An interesting article.Religiosity in East Asia is a difficult thing to quantify, as there is not the same concept of being an exc... Read More
Sunday, 10 April 2016 2:02 PM
Simon Appleby
Another issue of economic importance in the 20th century is how different religions view women and their economic role. Christian ... Read More
Sunday, 10 April 2016 2:02 PM
Florian Biermann
Thank you, Simon, for your well-informed explanations regarding religiosity in Asia.
Sunday, 10 April 2016 7:07 PM
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Levan Bzhalava
Oct
01

On Innovation, Coffeehouses and Georgian Supras

Private Sector
According to Steve Johnson (a popular American science writer and media theorist, the author of Where Good Ideas Come From), coffee and coffeehouses were a significant contributor to Europe’s scientific and industrial revolution. The first coffeehouses opened in London in 1650, and quickly mushroomed all over Europe. The coffeehouse had two major positive effects. First, it provided a healthy alternative to water (heavily contaminated) and alcohol (heavily abused at the time). And, second, as more and more intellectuals switched to coffee, the coffe...
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religion culture education innovation
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Lasha Lanchava
If physical distance reduces knowledge diffusion why not use the internet that would eliminate the former? In general, over relian... Read More
Thursday, 01 October 2015 3:03 PM
Eric Livny
The internet and face-to-face interactions are not substitutes but complements. I agree that kids and youth are glued to the same ... Read More
Thursday, 01 October 2015 4:04 PM
Lasha Lanchava
Not a bad idea. Especially in remote villages, where the (old) monasteries are built over beautiful landscapes, is a big potential... Read More
Thursday, 01 October 2015 4:04 PM
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Lasha Lanchava
Sep
04

Pavlovian Priests and the Sorry State of LGBT Rights in Georgia

Governance and Social Policy
According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, the word gay refers to cheerful, lively and high spirited person. The LGBT Prague Pride Parade, which I was fortunate to observe on my recent visit to Prague, lived to the very definition of the word. What I saw was fabulous: unicorns and countless rainbow colored flags, balloons, and thousands of exalted people dancing and singing in the middle of Wenceslas Square. The parade was bristling with so much enthusiasm and happiness that I, quite instinctively, was sucked in and followed the procession.  Prague ...
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equality lgbt human rights tourism religion
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