The global economy remains in a volatile state amid the prolonged effects of the combined negative shocks of the pandemic, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, high inflation, and the tightening monetary policy. Although the global economy remained resilient at the beginning of the year, the situation is expected to worsen.

The Forum for Research on Eastern Europe and Emerging Economies and the International School of Economics at TSU (ISET) and its Policy Institute, are delighted to extend a warm invitation to participate in an international conference on gender economics entitled: "Gender Equality and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Time of Crisis”.

Digitalization can be defined as the process of change that digital technology causes or influences in all aspects of life. For businesses, it implies digital improvements which alter business models, alongside the way in which products or services are manufactured and delivered.

In 2022 Georgia stayed on the path of recovery, exceeding experts’ expectations of economic performance. According to GeoStat’s preliminary estimates, the real GDP continues to show double-digit growth rates, measuring at 10.1% y/y in 2022 – which is remarkably close to the NBG’s real GDP growth expectation of 10% from October 2022.

Excessive tobacco consumption is an important public health policy issue. According to estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), 32% of the adult population in Georgia smoked tobacco in 2019 (WHO, 2021). The prevalence of smoking in men was 56.9 percent – the fourth in the world and first in Europe.