ISET

ISET Economist Blog

A blog about economics in the South Caucasus.
Jun
10

Could the Government Act as Coordinator?

In Avchala, in the middle of nowhere, you might be surprised to find the busy “Craftsmen’s City” or “Khelosnebis Kalaki” as it is called in Georgian. It is built on a 4-ha plot where there used to be a large carpet manufacturing plant in Soviet times, which vanished with the Soviet Union and turned into a concrete carcass surrounded by a swamp. Luckily, ten years ago, a man called Irakli bought this territory with the intention of renting it out1 — though it was not an easy task! At a minimum, Irakli had to provide basic conditions for people to mov...
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Guest — Matt
I enjoyed reading this piece: the narrative was compelling, the idea explained well and it was short enough to enjoy. Creating clu... Read More
Friday, 12 June 2020 8:08 AM
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Mar
04

Georgia's New European Modus Operandi

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, It was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, It was the season of light, it was the season of darkness … - Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities A CHRONICLE OF A DEATH FORETOLD? The above quote seems to fit the state of affairs in the European Union fairly well, as the EU’s crisis is continuing, getting deeper, and engulfing more actors than when it started. To name a few well-known events and stats: Greece probably had the first ...
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Eric Livny
It is convenient to blame the EU for the current rise of nationalism in Europe and whatnot. Nationalism and religious fanaticism a... Read More
Monday, 06 March 2017 9:09 AM
Florian Biermann
Eric:There was always populism everywhere, even in ancient Rome (Cato said: Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam). What is new... Read More
Tuesday, 07 March 2017 10:10 AM
Eric Livny
Nothing will stop people from moving from (extremely) high pressure to (extremely) low pressure areas. Osmosis-style, through bord... Read More
Tuesday, 07 March 2017 11:11 AM
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Feb
01

Let It Be

When Saint Nino, one of Georgia’s most venerated saints, traveled to Mtskheta back in the fourth century, she stopped to erect a grapevine cross in Foka, a small settlement on the shores of Lake Paravani some 2000 meters above sea level. Saint Nino must have traveled during the summer since, even today, Foka is very difficult to reach for about 6 months of the year. Heaps of snow block all major access roads during the long and cold winter.  In 1992, as Georgia was going through the most painful period in its recent history, six young Georgian ...
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Eric Livny
I could not agree more. There are plenty of talented people across Georgia's countryside, but instead of doing good for the commun... Read More
Tuesday, 02 February 2016 6:06 PM
Pati Mamardashvili
Let it be! Let all Georgian villages be inspired by Poka example! As a synonym to Let it be! (dae asec ikos) Georgians often use t... Read More
Tuesday, 02 February 2016 5:05 PM
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Nov
30

Innovation Starts Here and Now … In Lisi Lake Greenhouses

The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.  -John Maynard Keynes- Innovation is not necessarily about Silicon Valley Hi-Tech startups. It can happen here and now. In particular, contrary to what we have been hearing from our liberal politicians, there is plenty of scope for innovation in Georgia’s agriculture! Owned and managed by Nina Petrova-Dzneladze, Lisi Lake Greenhouses is a family farm located on 0.6ha of land in Tbilisi. The complex consists of three medium size greenhouses producing fruit and ...
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Guest — Ia
Great blog article!Since due to land restrictions farmers in Georgia often do not have access to large areas of land, greenhouse i... Read More
Wednesday, 16 December 2015 3:03 PM
Guest — PatiMamardashvili
Thanks for the comment, Ia! Indeed, farmers (not only in Georgia) often stick to old production techniques and hardly innovate. Th... Read More
Monday, 01 February 2016 7:07 AM
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