This weekend we visited one of the more remote parts of Georgia, the Shiraki plains at the border to Azerbaijan. After passing through Dedoplis Tskaro, the district capital and largest town in this part of Georgia, we found ourselves on a bad road going all the way to the small town of Kasritstkali. In Soviet times the road was surfaced, but these days one has to navigate mud and large potholes. By all accounts the small town of Kasritstkali is thoroughly isolated from the rest of Georgia. And for what it matters, from Azerbaijan as well. Although the bo...
ISET Economist Blog
A blog about economics in the South Caucasus.
Dec
07
Dec
02
Recently, I attended a show by the famous Erisioni dancing group, which was performing in Georgia for the first time after two years of constant traveling abroad. The Georgian dancers in traditional costumes were sensational, but as an economist, a minor incident caught my attention nearly as much as the Erisioni ensemble. At the entrance, I was given a pamphlet which featured, on the back page, one of the most remarkable advertisements I had ever seen. A company called Magticom announced to be the first Georgian firm to have paid taxes to the ...
Nov
24
From Eurasianet:
In a historic first for Georgia, 12 men and women recently passed judgment in the country’s first jury trial, a grisly murder case. But the answer to whether or not jury trials will enhance the credibility of the country’s justice system remains to be seen.
A promising development, jury trials might help reduce the perception of a lack of judiciary independence in Georgia. A key aspect of well-working jury trials is a sufficiently large jury size. While it is tempting to reduce costs by having smaller juries, there is ample evidence...
Nov
20
A fascinating mountain region at the border to Chechnya, Khevsureti is quite isolated. According to a 2006 report by the Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus, annual household incomes in the Shatili district of Khevsureti are:
70-80 kg of melted butter, half of which is family consumed and half sold. Income is 175 – 200 Euro (2.5 Euro per kg.).
600-800 kg of cheese, 70-80 kg of which is family consumed and the rest sold (2 Euro per kg). Income is approximately 1400 Euro.
Cattle is also sold (cows, calves). Income is 1500 - 2000 Euro.
...
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