Environmental Sustainability of Georgian Economic Policies in 2004-2013

Author(s): Ia Eradze / Language(s): English

This study aims to shed some light to economic policies and examine their compliance with sustainable development principles. The paper takes the Rose Revolution as a benchmark for policy reforms as a number of significant shifts have taken place since then. What kind of changes have actually occurred and how? How did the Rose Revolution government perceive development? What were the main principles and priorities guiding the reforms and policies from 2004 to 2013? What were the means and aims of development? These and other questions will be answered through this research from a rather narrow angle explained below. The hereby study aims to analyze: How have the principles of sustainable development been followed in the process of Georgian economic development during Saakashvili’s government (2004-2013) in the framework of environmental sustainability and why? The main goal of the paper is to identify the understanding of development by Saakashvili’s government, analyze its compliance with sustainable development principles and study the reasons for their absence or existence.

The comparative analyses of Men and Women with drug use problems

Author(s): Elene Japaridze / Language(s): English

Overall research demonstrates that women tend to be victims of physical and sexual abuse more often than men do and mostly the perpetrators of violence tend to be spouses and sexual partners. A study conducted on women in Georgia – National Research on Domestic Violence against Women in Georgia (2010) – makes it clear that one of every 11 women in a marriage or serious relationship has been a victim of physical or sexual violence. National survey conducted in Canada also demonstrates that approximately 1 in 3 women have experienced violence at some point in their adult lives and that 1 in 10 women are presently experiencing violence. The feminist literature about violence and abuse provides insight into the male power and domination. Within a patriarchal social order, men maintain a privileged position through their domination of women, and their monopoly of social institutions. Feminists look to the historical roots of these inequities to explain the deeply gendered division of power in contemporary society.

Drugs, Gender and Stereotypes

Author(s): Elene Japaridze / Language(s): English

This paper explores gendered claims about drug use in the views of contemporary drug rehabilitation experts in Georgia. When scholars separate motivations of men and women for drug use, gender is playing a critical role in structuring plausible empirical accounts of drug use. Yet gender may also operate in a less explicit way in shaping experts’ assessments of drug addiction. Indeed, a number of scholars invoke gender stereotypes, explaining women’s drug dependence in terms of their emotional nature, depression, and other types of psychological problems, while attributing men’s drug dependence to risk-taking behaviors and adolescent male bonding.

Development and the Role of the State; Visions of Post-Revolutionary Georgian Government

Author(s): Lela Rekhviashvili / Language(s): English

The current research attempts to offer an account of the post-revolutionary ruling elite’s discourse on development and its transformation over time. This is not an attempt to assess what the government did concerning development, but what the government said or promised. Despite the fact that issues like democratization, security, ethnic conflicts, and foreign relations affect developmental outcomes, this paper will limit itself to social and economic targets, reforms and achievements, as communicated by the Georgian government. The questions that the research aims to answer are: What was the developmental trajectory communicated by the Georgian government since 2003 to domestic and international audiences? What kind of role did the Georgian government project in social and economic development? The recent electoral success of the Georgian Dream (GD) coalition placed the former ruling party, the United National Movement (UNM), in opposition. As it is too early to interpret the development discourse of the new government as well as the new opposition, the scope of the current research will be limited to the period since the revolution to September 2012.

Spatial Inequities in Higher Education Admissions in Georgia: Likelihood of Choosing and Gaining Access to Prestigious Higher Education Institutions

Author(s): Maia Chankseliani / Language(s): English

This paper examines associations between rurality of higher education (HE) applicants’ residential origin, their priority choices of higher education institutions (HEIs), and university destinations in Georgia. By applying mixed-methods to the study of the quantitative data on approximately 118,000 applicants, a purposive sample of households and policy-makers, the paper contributes to the understanding of academic higher education access inequities in Georgian settings. The findings of this paper indicate that applicants who graduate from rural schools tend to apply and gain access to relatively less prestigious, i.e. less rigorous, HEIs than those applicants who graduated from urban schools.

Georgia, Russia and the North Caucasus: Is Enmity What States Make of It?

Author(s): George Khelashvili / Language(s): English

This paper is an attempt to analyse the root causes of discord between Georgia and Russia that pertain to the politics of the North Caucasus. In the first section, an overview of the North Caucasus problem as existing since the late 1980s is given. In the following section, the international political dimension of the Georgian-Russian squabble over the North Caucasus is analysed, followed by the domestic political and ideational factors that influence Georgian policy toward the North Caucasus. Finally, a plausible basis for the solution of the North Caucasian problem is discussed, in the context of intensity of Georgian-Russian political disagreement.

განათლებისა და განვითარების პროგრამა. საერთაშორისო საგანმანათლებლო კვლევები საქართველოში

Author(s): Ia Kutaladze / Language(s): Georgian

University Autonomy – Yet another State Requirement. Analysis of Decentralization Efforts in Higher Education of Georgia

Author(s): Elene Jibladze / Language(s): English

The paper focuses on system-wide higher education reforms that were lunched in Georgia in 2004. It calls into question an overall enthusiasm and positive attitude towards these reforms and poses the question whether the higher education reforms have been successful in Georgia? Analyzing a case of university autonomy this study concludes that autonomy-geared reforms produced façade changes and have failed to achieve system-wide transformation in this area. Universities tend to treat granted autonomy as another state requirement to which they have responded with superficial compliance. The analysis covers policy developments of 2004-2010 years and looks at three components of university autonomy, institutional, financial and academic autonomy. Conclusions derive from the outcome analysis of the university autonomy policies.

Female Drug Users – Problems and Challenges

Author(s): Elene Japaridze / Language(s): English

The purpose of the present paper is to review the attitudes to drug related issues in Georgia, particularly from the perspective of gender. When I was getting acquainted with the existing studies on the use of injective drugs in Georgia, I found that most of these studies had been conducted on males. The research on female population has faced difficulties, because women have been underrepresented compared with men both in treatment services and in research. Of course, women were added to samples, but no gender-related concepts were used. For this reason, drug use by both men and women was viewed through male lens. By gender-related concepts, I mean analyzing the different patterns of drug use according to the drug user’s gender. In my opinion, gender-related concepts take into account the peculiar reasons for drug use by males as well as by females, whether there is a difference in injective drug use by males and females, female users’ preferences for illicit substances, and the problems and barriers faced by female drug users. The main goal of this study is to ascertain the attitudes of Georgian experts to drug addiction and drug-dependent people, taking gender factors into consideration. I decided to achieve this goal by conducting in-depth interviews with experts who work in the field of narcology.

Perception and Practice of School Violence. Tendencies in Georgian Schools based on Students Surveys

Author(s): Diana Bogishivili / Language(s): English

The phenomenon of violence among adolescents, especially in schools, has attracted particular attention of pedagogy and social sciences since 1990s. Number of international studies confirms that violence, as a behavior model, can be explained with various motives. According to the studies the main reason and bases of violent behavior is a lack of family socialization, medial world and a process of alienation caused by it, and the influence of peers and school as an educational institution. Violent behavior most frequently is expressed between ages 12 and 24. The violence among adolescents is important since this phase of personality development is particularly significant for a human being. At this stage of socialization a person absorbs essential values for civil cohabitation, and gets engaged with ethical and moral standards. Aggressive and criminal behavior expressed at this particular stage of life gets reflected in person’s future. A young person is in the process of development, of finding his/her self-image and construing his/her identity. Herewith, it should be noted that besides the aforementioned, the socio-economic problems, social inequality and poverty are also named as causes of violence in developing countries.

Ascriptive Inequality and Life Chances in Georgia

Author(s): Alexi Gugushvili / Language(s): English

Using data from the Generations and Gender Survey for the cohorts born from 1926 to 1985 in Georgia, and the linear probability models of higher educational and ISCO 1-2 occupational attainment, I find the large ascriptive inequalities of life chances, which especially intensified for those born in 1976-85. Having parents with the lower socio-economic status, living in a family with the higher number of siblings, particularly brothers, residing in deprived regions at age 15, and selecting the non-prestigious fields of studies induced by social origin, negatively and significantly associate with life prospects. Although tertiary education serves mainly as the mediator of ascriptive factors, the latter also exert a direct effect on the occupational attainment. One of the reasons why the inequalities in life chances have increased in recent decades is the growing gap between educational expansion and occupational upgrade and the resultant inflation of credentials.

Police Reform in Georgia

Author(s): Alexander Kupatadze / Language(s): English

In this paper I do not intend to make the argument that police serve the interests of the ‘privileged class.’ Nor do I aim to downplay the achievements in reforming a notoriously corrupt police force. Rather I demonstrate that an important angle of police reform, making it accountable, transparent and de-politicised, remains unachieved and should not be ignored in academic writings and in the reports of international organisations such as the World Bank. The lack of critical attention to the shortcomings of police reform fits the trend of overlooking significant shortcomings in Georgian democracy and human rights by some international organisations and foreign states. This trend is damaging to the legitimacy of these same institutions/countries. // This paper analyses the trajectory of post-revolutionary transition in the criminal justice system and the way in which the rule of law has been undermined for the sake of building a strong state. I discuss the achievements and shortcomings of Georgian police reform and argue that the reforms have mainly targeted ‘low policing’ in order to meet the key concerns of the citizenry while ‘high policing’ remained above the law and a crucial safeguard for the ruling regime. Importantly there are many questions whether the larger goals of policing understood broadly such as normative compliance, cultural change and citizen acceptance of police authority are accomplished and whether the policies in place are appropriate for the achievement of these goals.

Gender Equality - An overview of Georgian and International Legislation

Author(s): Nargiza Arjevanidze / Language(s): English

The following paper examines the Gender Equality Legislation of Georgia and Nordic countries, namely the Gender Equality Acts of Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark. The study aims at identifying similarities as well as differences and revealing the best existing institutional mechanisms for effective implementation of provisions set out in the legislation. The countries mentioned above have been selected based on the Global Gender Gap Index (2011), according to which these countries are among the top ten countries in the ranking. Since 2006 World Economic Forum publishes annual reports on Global Gender Gap Index which identifies the gender gaps, inequalities and dynamics across the time. The Global Gender Gap report 2011 comprised 135 countries. Georgia took 86th place in the ranking; Compared with the previous year this is a slightly better position, though it has to be highlighted that assessment of Georgia in regards to the gender equality has exacerbated in the last 6 years.

Assessment of the Gender Equality Policy in Georgia by Women’s Organizations

Author(s): Elene Japaridze / Language(s): English

Gender relations determine how equally men and women use, have access to, and control resources. We encounter a lot of cases of inequality and discrimination that are caused by models of behavior and expectations established according to gender roles. Division and differentiation between people by gender that leads to gender inequality are characteristic of almost every society. The World Bank report of 2003 says that issues of gender inequality that manifest themselves in unequal participation of men and women, for example, in the areas of education, health care, and politics, affect the development of the world.

Gender Equality in Georgia on the Bases of International Indices and Ratings

Author(s): Nani Bendeliani / Language(s): English

The report - Assessing the Gender Equality in Georgia on the Bases of International Indices and Ratings is a comprehensive evaluation of gender equality in Georgia from the multiple perspectives – based on different international agencies, methodologies and themes; It is focused on methodology to make the right interpretation of the data of the indices and ratings. It reveals the most problematic areas and topics for further research and policy application and presents the country progress / drawbacks through the data available for multiple years.

Beyond the Human Development Index: Assessing the Human Development in Georgia through International Indices and Rankings

Author(s): Nani Bendeliani / Language(s): English

The report assesses the progress in Georgia in terms of human development according to Human Development Index (HDI) published in scope of the United Nation’s Human Development Report. To make valid conclusions, the report focuses on the methodology and various sources of data, such as Human Development Reports, published on yearly bases since 1995, The Special development Report on Georgia and the HDI data base.

From Public to Non-Commercial Legal Status – Universities in Georgia: Status Quo and Perspectives of Strategic Development

Author(s): Lika Glonti / Language(s): English

The present study aims to determine main trends of development of the higher education in Georgia based on analyzis of activities of selected Georgian universities. The study focuses on public universities, which recently changed their legal status and currently operate as non-profit non-commercial legal entities of law. Our goal is to determine the strating point of these universities with special attention to their strategic plans - how universities can use a new legals status and an increased degree of autonomy? Study results should facilitate elaboration of the higher education develoment plan (and recommendations) considering world and local challenges.

Georgia from the Outside: The Path to Democracy

Author(s): Lela Rekhviashvili / Language(s): English

Georgia’s 2003 “Rose Revolution” capitalized on the popular discontent with the corrupt and ineffective government and ushered in hope for freedom, democracy and prosperity. This hope and enthusiasm was true domestically and internationally as well. International observers were keenly looking forward to a new wave of democratization that would now finally sweep over the former Soviet space. Domestically, people were looking forward to a government that would finally hear their voices and prioritize the state interest over their personal. // Saakashvili and his government have proven to be enthusiastic advertisers of own performance. Contrasting the achievements since 2003 with the dark and decayed times of Shevardnadze’s government has been particularly pervasive. However, while progress is visible in some areas, when it comes to democracy, the performance is widely considered to be less than perfect. // To measure the performance this paper looks at various international indices, which assign numerical value and standing to different countries around the world. While narrative assessments are much more numerous and may well provide more details, this paper looks specifically at those resources that allow for comparison of countries performance across pre-defined components/indicators and do so across time, thus showing development trends. These indices and rankings are widely used and internationally recognized scholarly resources. While all approaches and methodologies have inherent limitations and their criticism abounds, these resources still provide valuable data. It is worth noting, additionally, that despite using divergent methodologies, the findings of all of these resources largely point in the same direction and the correlation between the assessments is recognized to be significant.

The Youth Discourses on EU-ropeanization in the New European Countries and the Margins of Europe

Author(s): Lia Tsuladze / Language(s): English

In the following paper I discuss the perception of EU-ropeanization among the youth from the new European countries (the cases of Romania and Poland) and the margins of Europe (the case of Georgia). Based on my recent cross-cultural qualitative research, namely, the in-depth interviews and focus group discussions with Georgian, Romanian and Polish youth, I aim to illustrate how the EU-ropeanization discourses uphold the ambivalent identities promoting the construction of certain reality, in which the young people constantly negotiate between the EU-ropeanizing forces and the national. The abovementioned ambivalence is reflected in the youth narratives on the impact of the EU normative standards on their societies that tend to both regulate and confuse everyday life and of the EU-ropeanizing trends on the local traditions that tend to both encourage inventing “specificity”and endanger traditional practices. The positive outcomes of the EU integration as seen by the youth from the new European countries are both the ease of crossing the borders with new opportunities to study and work and the EU projects supporting the development of local economies and infrastructure. However, they stress that both the former and the latter have their side effects as the implementation of certain EU regulations might represent a mere performance/spectacle, while crossing the borders might produce a nation-wide “failure discourse” as a result of negative stigmatization by a recipient society. The discourses of the youth from the margins of Europe being willing to join the EU (Georgia) do resonate with the ones of their counterparts from the new European countries (Romania and Poland).

Values, Programmes and Actions: examining the Ideologies and legislative Positions of Ukrainian Political Parties

Author(s): Denys Rybachok / Language(s): English

One of the hallmarks of the party system in Ukraine is quasi-absence of well-defined ideological platforms of parties. In Ukraine political parties often are artificial projects created for specific elections with the main purpose of avocation the interests of those oligarchic groups that are funding them. In this situation, ideology plays a minor role. In 2019, presidential and parliamentary elections will take place in Ukraine. The voting will take place in difficult socio-economic conditions and in conditions of armed con¬flict in the East of the country. The key issue in the elections is the implementation of public reforms. Ukraine is a parliamentary-presidential republic, so it is expected that the political parties are to offer the society their version of modernization. In this paper, the ideological platforms of the most ranking Ukrainian parties are examined through the prism of their political programmes’ analysis on the eve of elections. The party pro-grammes have been studied from three perspectives: domestic, international and public. The paper also proposes mechanisms for improving the quality of party programmes.