DOCSLIB.ORG

Downloads/BCG Kvleva.Pdf)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Downloads/BCG Kvleva.Pdf) Georgia Human Development Report 2008 The Reforms and Beyond Published for UNDP Georgia Copyright © 2008 United Nations Development Programme 9 Eristavi Street, 0179 Tbilisi, Georgia All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without permission ISBN 978-9941-0-0571-8 Editing: Caitlin Ryan Cover and layout: Dimitri Modrekelize, Contour Ltd. Printing: Calamus Graphics Studio Executive summary Team for the preparation of Georgia Human Development Report 2008 Project coordinator Viktor Baramia Lead author George Welton Co-authors Tinatin Zurabishvili and Natalia Nozadze Research assistant George Kiziria Authors of background papers Givi Kutidze, Eka Avaliani, Lasha Gotsiridze, Giorgi Berulava, Tato Urjumelashvili, Shorena Abesadze, Tinatin Zurabishvili, Vakhtang Megrelishvili, Keti Kinkladze, Nino Kizikurashvili, Giorgi Meladze. Human development advisors Andrey Ivanov and Shahrbanou Tadjbakhsh Indicators computation: Nodar Kapanadze and Mihail Peleah Georgia Human Development Report 2008 Forewords The UNDP National Human Development However, as we enter the second phase of the Report comes at an important time in Georgia’s reforms we need to be forward-looking. The relentless pursuit of enhanced economic devel- Report reminds us that the objective of these opment for all. The beginning of this administra- reforms has always been Human Development tion’s second term is an ideal time for reflection in the fullest sense. We do not only seek to pro- on what we have achieved and what we still need duce a wealthy society. We want our society to be to do. As a long-term supporter of Georgian re- democratic and participatory, educated, healthy forms, UNDP is ideally placed to engage with us and secure. The first round of reforms have taken in this reflection, combining insider knowledge us on the path towards these goals and provided and outsider objectivity. the general framework for future improvements, which can only be brought about if we continue Any discussion about how to proceed should with our unwavering commitment to further en- also include a wide range of opinions, local and hance the economic liberties in Georgia and its international, from inside the government and openness to foreign investment. from wider society. The National Human De- velopment Report has helped incorporate these The first task of the new Government is to ensure voices to offer a broad-ranging and independent that every part of Georgian society feels the full assessment that should be invaluable in framing benefits of what we have achieved and has the the policy discussions. opportunity to realize his or her full potential. We have already initiated targeted social assist- The title of the Report is indicative. It is not just ance, higher pensions as well as a basic package of a testimony to the remarkable reforms that have universal healthcare provisions. This has offered taken place in Georgia over the last four and a protections for the most vulnerable and is alle- half years. Even more important, it looks at the viating extreme poverty. While we will expand reform process in a long-term perspective, be- these programs in the next few years, broaden- yond an account of what has been done. It is also ing of the opportunities created by the reforms a timely reminder of our shortcomings and the needs to go further than social assistance. work we still have to do, of the inevitable gaps and the possible ways of addressing them. The Human Development Report, therefore, of- fers useful insights as we reflect on where to go In reflecting on the past, the Report is a testi- from here. Since the Rose Revolution, Georgia mony to our many successes. Since the Rose has benefitted enormously from its close collab- Revolution the Government finances have been oration with the international community. The secured through a consistently supply-side ap- Human Development Report is an extension of proach resulting in low, flat taxes which we strive that collaboration. We hope it will encourage to reduce further and restrictions on doing busi- an inclusive policy debate on how we build on ness have been removed. As a result, the Govern- current successes to create a just, prosperous and ment has been able to repair roads, irrigation, secure future for everyone in the country. electricity and water supply, to improve the in- frastructure of education and healthcare and to attract investment that has grown the economy and created jobs. The people are freed from the blight of corruption. They can rely on the police to protect their security and deal with Govern- Vladimer Gurgenidze ments without paying bribes. Prime Minister Georgia Human Development Report 2008 No one who has lived in Georgia since 2003 can Georgia has come a long way in a short time. fail to notice the scale of the reforms introduced The first phase of the reforms showed that the since the Rose Revolution. Every part of the Georgian people have both vision and determi- country has been affected and, four and a half nation. By encouraging debate on the human years later, the changes have been impressive. dimensions of the reforms, we hope to assist The legal, institutional and physical infrastruc- Georgian society in addressing the challenges ture of the country as well as the environment to human development both by improving ar- for doing business have been transformed. eas which require further attention, as well as building upon the successes already made. This National Human Development Report looks at the way the reforms have affected or- The date of publication of this report is timely. dinary Georgians and pays particular attention Parliamentary elections in May 2008 marked to their impact on economically vulnerable the end of the latest election cycle and the be- groups. Much has been written about the posi- ginning of a new Government and Parliament. tive impact of the reforms in Georgia on the With the country moving to the second phase business climate and macroeconomic indica- of the reforms, we believe it is the right time to tors. While these are important advances, eco- reflect on the achievements and challenges of nomic growth alone does not necessarily lead the first phase, and to fine-tune the direction of to human development. To achieve this wider new and emerging reforms. These opportuni- goal, growth needs to be equitably distributed ties are rare and UNDP is well placed to be a and sustainable, and it needs to be used for part of the process. creating opportunities for participation and greater security for all. The Government of Georgia has already recog- nized that more needs to be done in order for the reforms to improve the lives of all sectors of the population. Access to healthcare, and in- creased job opportunites in particular, continue Robert D. Watkins to be the major issues of concern. In addition to Resident Representative the promotion of macro-economic growth and United Nations Development Programme attempts to improve the efficiency with which social services are provided, the Government has tried to tackle these problems by increasing social payments, and has put in place targeted social assistance programmes. Recognising that still more can be done, this report was conceived with a view to assist the Government in developing policy focusing on the human dimension. The report results from a series of discussions held with the Govern- ment, civil society groups, international and lo- cal NGOs, and a wide range of local experts. We therefore believe that the report’s conclusions are inclusive, balanced and forward-looking. Georgia Human Development Report 2008 Acknowledgement This report could not have been prepared without the generous contribution of a large team of participants. UNDP wants to particularly thank the lead author of George Welton and his team who worked very hard to produce the final report. We would also like to thank UNDP Bratislava office for their inputs, particularly Andrey Ivanov and Mihail Peleah. We thank all those individuals and organiza- tions involved directly or indirectly in providing guidance, support and inputs to the report. Advisory Committee ment of Statistics); the Ministry of Environ- The report benefited from the guidance and mental Protection and Natural Resources; the support of an advisory committee that includ- Ministry of Finance; the Ministry of Education ed Maka Antidze, Kakha Bendukhidze, Giorgi and Science and the Ministry of Labor Health Chirakadze, Giorgi Chkheidze, Per Eklund, and Social Protection. Vladimer Gurgenidze, Gilbert Hie, Ani Kata- midze, Davit Kereselidze, Robert Lidell, Davit Losaberidze, Zaza Meishvili, Cedric Retail- Consultations leau, Ekaterine Sharashidze, Van Roy South- The HDR formulation process has gained worth, Sozar Subari, Giorgi Tavadze, Ekater- greatly from the advice of Shahrbanou Tadjba- ine Tkeshelashvili, Levan Tsutskiridze, Robert khsh, Pierre Garello, Vakhtang Lejava, Tamara Watkins, and Robert Wilson. Kovziridze, Andrey Ivanov, Mihail Peleah and Nato Alhazishvili, and Section Reviewers Gio- vanna Barberis, Robert Christensen, Kendra Contributors Gregson, Nino Kutateladze and Davit Tvala- Background papers were prepared by Shorena beishvili. Abesadze, Eka Avaliani, Irakli Berekashvili, Participants in the different working Giorgi Berulava, Lasha Gotsiridze, Keti Kin- groups: Ana Kvanchilashvili; Lasha Mgeladze; kladze, Nino Kizikurashvili, Givi Kutidze, Levan Khetsuriani; Tamuna Gurchiani; Zaal Vakhtang Megrelishvili,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Georgia: What Now?
    GEORGIA: WHAT NOW? 3 December 2003 Europe Report N°151 Tbilisi/Brussels TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS................................................. i I. INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 1 II. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................. 2 A. HISTORY ...............................................................................................................................2 B. GEOPOLITICS ........................................................................................................................3 1. External Players .........................................................................................................4 2. Why Georgia Matters.................................................................................................5 III. WHAT LED TO THE REVOLUTION........................................................................ 6 A. ELECTIONS – FREE AND FAIR? ..............................................................................................8 B. ELECTION DAY AND AFTER ..................................................................................................9 IV. ENSURING STATE CONTINUITY .......................................................................... 12 A. STABILITY IN THE TRANSITION PERIOD ...............................................................................12 B. THE PRO-SHEVARDNADZE
    [Show full text]
  • Adlib Express Watermark
    IHS Global Insight Report: Georgia (Country Intelligence) Report printed on 14 January 2009 CONTENTS Country Reports AdlibCopyright ©2008 Express Global Insight Inc. All rights reserved. WatermarkPage 1 of 36 Nature of Risk Rating Summary Political: Risks 2.75 The situation in Georgia is uncertain in the aftermath of the military conflict with Russia, but it is clear that the state will remain functioning, even if the separatist republics claim chunks of its territory (highly unlikely). The economy will pay the price of military damage, although most importantly, crucial elements of the country's infrastructure such as bridges and mountain tunnels have remained intact. President Mikhail Saakashvili, who essentially triggered the hostilities by ordering a Georgian offensive on South Ossetia, will have to fight to retain his seat, which he only won for the second term in January 2008. Given the popular consensus in the face of the Russian offensive, however, Saakashvili may well rely on his charismatic turns to actually elevate and strengthen his domestic position. The government will also remain committed to its economic reform policy, although most of the legislation and regulation is already in place. Economic: Risks 3.50 Georgia is a poor country with weak external financial and trade links outside Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. The collapse in growth associated with post-Soviet economic management during the early 1990s was heightened in Georgia's case by a brief civil war on its borders. The economy finally began to recover strongly from its collapsed base in the second half of the 1990s. Although Georgian GDP rose steadily in 1995-2006, growth rates have been highly variable, from lows of about 2% to highs of arou nd 11%.
    [Show full text]
  • Rose Revolution: the Challenges and Peculiarities of Democratization
    Georgian Rose Revolution: The Challenges and Peculiarities of Democratization in Post-Soviet Countries A thesis presented to the faculty of the Center for International Studies of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Anna Gabritchidze November 2011 © 2011 Anna Gabritchidze. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled Georgian Rose Revolution: the Challenges and Peculiarities of Democratization in Post-Soviet Countries by ANNA GABRITCHIDZE has been approved for the Center for International Studies by Dauda AbuBakar Professor of Political Science Jie Li Li Director, International Development Studies Drew McDaniel Interim Director, Center for International Studies 3 Abstract GABRITCHIDZE, ANNA, M.A., November 2011, International Development Studies Georgian Rose Revolution: the Challenges and Peculiarities of Democratization in Post- Soviet Countries (73 pp.) Director of Thesis: Dauda AbuBakar This thesis will describe and analyze the challenges and peculiarities of democratization in post-Soviet countries with Georgia as the main focus. It will cover the investigation of phenomena of so-called “fourth wave” democracies with their transition regime styles. In the end of the 1990s Samuel Huntington asked if we can expect a new wave of democratization in the 21st century and what factors would define it. The dramatic wave of political changes which gripped republics of the former Soviet Union during this short period led to “Rose Revolution” in Georgia in November 2003, the “Orange Revolution” in Ukraine in November 2004 and the “Tulip Revolution in Kyrgyzstan” in March 2005. The Georgian case study could be an evident demonstration of this political and social change with the challenges common to all post-Soviet countries as well as with its uniqueness.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights in Georgia
    200 7 The Public Defender of Georgia Report of the Public Defender of Georgia 1 Human Rights in Georgia Report of the Public Defender of Georgia 2007Second half of TBILISI 2008 The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the United Nations or UNDP. UNITED NATIONS PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT DEFENDER PROGRAMME OF GEORGIA THE REPORT WAS PUBLISHED WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (UNDP) CONTENTS 1. POLITICAL PERSECUTION 9 2. FREEDOM OF ASSEMBLY AND MANIFESTATION 18 3. FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION 47 4. PRESUMPTION OF INNOCENCE 78 5. 5 JANUARY 2008 EXTRAORDINARY PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS: FACTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 85 6. THE STATE OF HUMAN RIGHTS CONDITIONS IN PSYCHIATRIC INSTITUTIONS AND THE RIGHTS OF PATIENTS PARTICIPATING IN ELECTIONS 100 7. RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL 104 8. ENFORCEMENT OF COURT JUDGMENTS 113 9. PROSECUTORS OFFICE AND HUMAN RIGHTS 117 10. MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND HUMAN RIGHTS 125 11. MONITORING OF TEMPORARY DETENTION ISOLATORS AND POLICE UNITS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS AND GUARDHOUSE OF THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE OF GEORGIA 129 12. PENITENTIARY SYSTEM 133 13. CAUSES AND FACTORS AFFECTING MORTALITY RATE AT GEORGIAN PENITENTIARY INSTITUTIONS 138 14. PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF PEOPLE LIVING IN CONFLICT ZONES 170 15. PROTECTION OF THE RIGHTS OF INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDP) 174 16. PROTECTION OF REFUGEES RIGHTS 180 17. FREEDOM OF INFORMATION 185 18. VIOLATION OF THE RIGHT TO PROPERTY 187 19. SOCIAL PROTECTION 191 20. RIGHTS OF DISABLED PEOPLE 196 21. THE RIGHTS OF A CHILD 201 22. GENDER EQUALITY ISSUES 209 23. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN GEORGIA 211 24.
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia's Policies Against Corruption and Organised Crime
    This article was downloaded by: [University of Toronto Libraries] On: 16 April 2012, At: 10:24 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK European Security Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/feus20 Explaining Georgia's anti-corruption drive Alexander Kupatadze a a Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia, GA, USA Available online: 12 Mar 2012 To cite this article: Alexander Kupatadze (2012): Explaining Georgia's anti-corruption drive, European Security, 21:1, 16-36 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09662839.2012.656597 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and- conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. European Security Vol. 21, No. 1, March 2012, 16Á36 Explaining Georgia’s anti-corruption drive Alexander Kupatadze* Tbilisi State University, Tbilisi, Georgia, GA, USA (Received 19 December 2011; final version received 9 January 2012) This article explains Georgia’s achievements against rampant corruption that plagued the country for decades.
    [Show full text]
  • Tax Policy Formation and the Transnationalization of the Public Policy Arena
    Tax Policy Formation and the Transnationalization of the Public Policy Arena A Case Study of Georgia Nina Dadalauri PhD Dissertation Tax Policy Formation and the Transnationalization of the Public Policy Arena A Case Study of Georgia Politica © Forlaget Politica and the author 2011 ISBN: 978-87-7335-146-8 Cover: Svend Siune Print: Juridisk Instituts Trykkeri, Aarhus Universitet Layout: Annette B. Andersen Submitted February 8, 2011 The public defense takes place May 3, 2011 Published April 2011 Forlaget Politica c/o Department of Political Science Aarhus University Bartholins Allé 7 DK-8000 Århus C Denmark Tel. +45 8942 1253 Fax +45 8613 9839 e-mail: [email protected] Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................................ 9 Chapter 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 13 1.1. Tax Policy Defined .................................................................................................................................. 18 1.2. Conventional Approaches to Tax Policy Formation and Reforms ............................ 22 1.3. Transnationalization of the Policy Arena: Do Ideas Matter in Tax Policy Formation? ........................................................................................................................................................... 25 1.4. Roadmap of the Dissertation
    [Show full text]
  • Differences and Similarities Between Georgia and Independent Television
    Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 2005 Covering the Revolution of Roses (differences and similarities between Georgia and independent television companies) Nino Danelia Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Mass Communication Commons Recommended Citation Danelia, Nino, "Covering the Revolution of Roses (differences and similarities between Georgia and independent television companies)" (2005). LSU Master's Theses. 2357. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/2357 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. COVERING THE REVOLUTION OF ROSES (DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN GEORGIAN STATE AND INDEPENDENT TELEVISION COMPANIES) A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Mass Communication in The Manship School of Mass Communication by Nino Danelia B.A., Tbilisi State Academy of Fine Arts, Georgia, 1996 December 2005 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Renita Coleman, my thesis advisor, for her great assistance during my research. Also I would like to say many thanks to my committee members: Dr Miller and Dr Wu. They have been giving me helpful advises for improvement of the thesis. I want to express many thanks to Dr Margaret DeFleur, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies of Manship School of Mass Communications, whose support was very encouraging and helpful.
    [Show full text]
  • Trans-Territorial Energy Networks in Georgia, 1993-2003
    LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE State Weakness in Perspective: Trans-territorial Energy Networks in Georgia, 1993-2003 Stacy Renee Closson A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Relations 2007 UMI Number: U226529 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U226529 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 M Library British Library of Political aod .Economic Spence ______ AUTHOR DECLARATION I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that no material has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University. Stacy Renee Closson The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without prior consent of the author. I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I understand that in the event of my thesis not being approved by the examiners, this declaration will become void.
    [Show full text]
  • Acknowledgements
    Acknowledgements The Georgian security sector is not a well-documented area. Authoritarian systems are not known for the free flow of qualified information, nor for fostering the type of analysis that lends itself to media where information must be in a concentrated form. The editors would like to express their deep gratitude to all those who contributed by writing articles and/or translating and/or shaping some of these articles into publishable entities. They regret that not all articles sent in could be accommodated in this publication, and remain convinced that reforms will eventually make the task of reporting on security sector reform and security sector governance a more joyful and less cumbersome undertaking. The Editors Introduction Georgian Security Sector Governance after the Rose Revolution Philipp H. Fluri and Shorena Lortkipanidze Georgia has been on many an observer’s mind ever since President Eduard Shevardnadze’s regime collapsed. Grave economic and social problems, the “political disillusionment” of the people, grave and ever-increasing systemic corruption and the falsification of the 2003 parliamentary elections eventually led to the “the Rose Revolution” in Georgia – in part by the protégées of Shevardnadze himself. The new Georgian leadership seems to understand the challenges to be addressed in the near future: conducting free, fair and transparent elections (presidential and parliamentary); fighting corruption and organized crime; revamping government institutions and the civil service, which collapsed or withered under Shevardnadze; attracting honest, competent and educated people to the government; delivering pensions, salaries and other social security payments on time; setting the conditions for economic growth and foreign investment to overcome the deep economic crisis (or rather the fact that macro-economic activity in the free market sense hardly exists); managing a difficult relationship with Russia; attempting territorial reintegration while Russian passports are given to inhabitants of the separatist regions.
    [Show full text]
  • Panel Survey of the Population of Georgia
    Political Profiles of the Georgian Electorate: Panel Survey Data Nana Sumbadze & George Tarkhan-Mouravi Institute for Policy Studies Tbilisi 2003 Foreword This brief report was prepared within the framework of the extensive research project of the Institute of Policy Studies, supported by the Local Governments Initiative (LGI) of the Open Society Institute and the Citizens Advocate! Program funded by the US Agency for International Development. Here are presented some findings related to political profiles of the Georgia’s electorate made during the first two rounds of the panel survey, which was carried out in October- November 2002 and June 2003 on most of the territory of Georgia, with exception of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (we concentrate here mostly on the June 2003 results, bringing the 2002 data mainly for comparison to illustrate change). The total of 1100 persons have been interviewed, selected so as to take into account demographic variables such as urban/rural settlement type as well as gender and age groups, considered to be a representative sample of the Georgia’s population. While two authors, Nana Sumbadze and George Tarkhan-Mouravi, actually wrote this report, many other persons contributed to actual research and the fieldwork, preparation of the questionnaire, interviewing respondents, and processing the results. We would like to acknowledge the especially valuable contribution and support provided by IPS research assistants – Ana Kitiashvili and Ekaterine Pirtskhalava, to whom we extend our sincere gratitude. While interviewers involved in the fieldwork are too numerous to be listed here, all of them deserve our gratitude as well. Tinatin Eristavi did excellent job of entering complicated statistical data.
    [Show full text]
  • European Security Explaining Georgia's Anti-Corruption Drive
    Downloaded from http://iranpaper.ir http://www.itrans24.com/landing1.html This article was downloaded by: [Linnaeus University] On: 16 October 2014, At: 05:27 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK European Security Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/feus20 Explaining Georgia's anti-corruption drive Alexander Kupatadze a a Tbilisi State University , Tbilisi , Georgia, GA , USA Published online: 12 Mar 2012. To cite this article: Alexander Kupatadze (2012) Explaining Georgia's anti-corruption drive, European Security, 21:1, 16-36, DOI: 10.1080/09662839.2012.656597 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09662839.2012.656597 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.
    [Show full text]
  • Georgia: Rise and Fall of the Façade Democracy
    Georgia: Rise and Fall of the Façade Democracy JABA DEVDARIANI eorgia’s “revolution of roses,” November 22–3, 2003, brought an unprece- Gdented generational change in post-Soviet political leaderships, based on public support for the democracy. Like every revolution, it tells a story of failed reform. Gradual weakening of Eduard Shevardnadze’s government has been observed both by national and international analysts who spoke of Georgia as a “failed state.” But, more important, Shevardnadze’s inflexible style of governance acted as a straightjacket for the political environment that grew increasingly complex since Georgia’s independence. On November 23, Eduard Shevardnadze was forced to resign his office, amid the wave of public protests against rigged parliamentary elections, after ruling the country for twelve consecutive years and being in the country’s top leadership since the 1970s. Some observers refer to these events as a surprise breakthrough of democra- cy. Others point out that the leaders who deposed the president were among the top ten leaders of Shevardnadze’s own Citizens Union of Georgia in the 1999 par- liamentary elections. Thus, the critics say no significant political change has occurred. To put Georgia’s “revolution of roses” in a proper context, it is necessary to analyze the pressures that the country’s social and partisan environment put on the political system that personally became associated with Shevardnadze since the 1990s. Only by fusing both of these observations can we tell a story of emergence of the country’s democratic institutions, party politics, and failed reform. Preface Forty-five political entities, thirteen of which were the party blocs, participated in Georgia’s 1999 parliamentary elections.
    [Show full text]