“A Closer Look at the Progress of Reform in Georgia”

Last Friday, CIPE held a roundtable with two experts on Georgia: Ana Dolidze, former president of the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association, and Irakly Areshidze, author of Democracy and Autocracy in Eurasia: Georgia in Transition. They discussed the progress of Georgia’s reforms to date and concluded that while a number of notable accomplishments have been made – such as a reduction in petty corruption and salary increases to make civil service an attractive career for young reformers – there is still more work to be done before Georgia reaches its goal of becoming a full-fledged democracy governed by the rule of law.

The discussion was lively, and CIPE has posted a streaming video of the event on its website. Check the Economic Reform Roundtables page if you’re interested in seeing other presentations.

To complement the roundtable, CIPE just published an Economic Reform Feature Service article by Ana that expands upon the points made in her presentation. “A Closer Look at the Progress of Reform in Georgia” explores the reforms implemented to date, civil society’s positive influence, deficiencies in the reform process, and ways that the international community can encourage Georgia to engage in further reforms.

Article Abstract:

In years following the 2003 Rose Revolution, Georgia has experienced significant economic and political reform. Considering the time span, many of its achievements are impressive. Among them is a significant reduction of petty corruption. Through a ten-fold increase in wages for the public sector, the Government has successfully reduced civil servants’ temptation to solicit bribes and has made public service an attractive career for enthusiastic and talented young people. Civil society has been given considerable freedom over the last several years, and there have been no attempts by the Government to curb NGO activities as has happened in other countries.

Yet, many of the reforms have been achieved in the environment of weak rule of law. For example, Georgia’s courts are not yet fully independent and remain under the influence of the Executive Branch. A weak judiciary and an ineffective civil service often result in poor enforcement of legislation and do not protect citizens from violations of their property rights. Still, despite the evident deficiencies in the reform processes, Georgia’s continued efforts to adopt a democratic, market-oriented system must be encouraged both within the country and by the international community.