GEORGIAN REFORM PROGRESS TRACKING SYSTEM REFORM TRACKING PERIODIC ANALYTICAL REPORT USAID GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA September 12, 2018 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Deloitte Consulting LLP. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. GEORGIAN REFORM PROGRESS TRACKING SYSTEM 4TH REFORM TRACKING SEMI-ANNUAL ANALYTICAL REPORT USAID GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA CONTRACT NUMBER: AID-114-C-14-00007 DELOITTE CONSULTING LLP USAID | GEORGIA USAID CONTRACTING OFFICER’S REPRESENTATIVE: PHILLIP GREENE AUTHOR(S): ISET-POLICY INSTITUTE PRIVATE SECTOR AND CIVIL SOCIETY CAPACITY STRENGTHENING COMPONENT: 5500 LANGUAGE: ENGLISH SEPTEMBER 12, 2018 DISCLAIMER: This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Deloitte Consulting LLP. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. USAID | GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA GEORGIAN REFORM PROGRESS TRACKING SYSTEM i DATA Reviewed by: Malkhaz Nikolashvili, Tamar Kapianidze Project Component: Public Private Dialogue Component Practice Area: Overall Institutionalized Framework for Public Consultations Key Words: reform, progress tracking, methodology, outreach, dissemination, sustainability USAID | GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA GEORGIAN REFORM PROGRESS TRACKING SYSTEM ii ACRONYMS G4G Governing for Growth in Georgia AmCham American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia BCI Business Confidence Index BMA Bond Market Association CCI Consumer Confidence Index COSME Competitiveness of Enterprises and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises DFID Department for International Development DNA Deoxyribo Nucleic acid EBRD European Bank of Reconstruction and Development EMIS Education Management Information System EU European Union FDI Foreign Direct Investment G4G Governing for Growth in Georgia GDP Gross Domestic Product GEL Georgian Lari GITA Georgian Innovation and Technology Agency GMRA Global Master Repurchase Agreements GoG Government of Georgia GRPTS Georgian Reform Progress Tracking System ICMA International Capital Market Association ICT Innovation and Communication Technology IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development IMF International Monetary Fund ISET International School of Economics ISET-PI ISET Policy Institute LEPL Legal Entity of Public Law LLEL Lifelong Entrepreneurial Learning System LPIS Land Parcel Identification System MoA Ministry of Agriculture MoESD Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development MoF Ministry of Finance NBG National Bank of Georgia NSO National Statistics Office of Georgia “GeoStat” PMCG Policy and Management Consulting Group PPD Public Private Dialogue R&D Research and Development RIA Regulatory Impact Assessment S&P Standards and Poor’s SME Small and medium-sized enterprises TVET Technical Vocational Education and Training USAID United States Agency for International Development VES Vocational Education System VET Vocational Education and Training USAID | GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA GEORGIAN REFORM PROGRESS TRACKING SYSTEM iii CONTENTS 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................. 5 2. BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................ 6 3. METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................................... 7 4. FINDINGS ..................................................................................................................................... 8 A. SME/INNOVATIONS DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................ 8 B. AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................... 12 C. CAPITAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT REFORM ....................................................................... 14 D. PENSION REFORM.................................................................................................................... 16 E. VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING REFORM .......................................................... 19 APPENDIX A: REFORMETER INTERFACE ....................................................................................... 22 APPENDIX B: OUTCOME INDICATORS OF SME/INNOVATIONS DEVELOPMENT ...................... 23 APPENDIX C: OUTCOME INDICATORS OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT ............................ 33 APPENDIX D: OUTCOME INDICATORS OF CAPITAL MARKET DEVELOPMENT ........................ 39 APPENDIX E: OUTCOME INDICATORS OF PENSION REFORM .................................................... 44 APPENDIX F: OUTCOME INDICATORS OF VET REFORM .............................................................. 45 USAID | GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA GEORGIAN REFORM PROGRESS TRACKING SYSTEM iv 1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Georgian Reform Progress Tracking System (“ReforMeter”) has finished its second phase of assessments for its first year of evaluations. All five reforms have been evaluated and the results are as follows: Small and Medium Enterprise (SME)/Innovation Development Reform: 39.2% of the reform is implemented according to the Government of Georgia (GoG); Stakeholders’ reform score: 4.33 (out of 10). Agricultural Development Reform: 74.9% of the reform is implemented; Stakeholders’ reform score: 5.63 (out of 10). Capital Market Development Reform: 67.7% of the reform is implemented; Stakeholders’ reform score: 5.00 (out of 10). Pension Reform (only one assessment): 38.8% of the reform is implemented; Stakeholders’ reform score: 4.10 (out of 10). Vocational Education and Training Reform: 52.1% of the reform is implemented; Stakeholders’ reform score: 7.37 (out of 10). The ReformVerdict is a summary score, derived as a weighted average of scores assigned to each reform, has increased since the last report from 5.26 to 5.46. On June 8 2018, the second phase of ReforMeter ended with an evaluation of the Pension Reform. The project team convened the Steering Committee meeting to analyze assessment results. USAID | GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA GEORGIAN REFORM PROGRESS TRACKING SYSTEM 5 2. BACKGROUND The Georgian Reform Progress Tracking System informs the general public on how the GoG’s reform efforts have progressed against their intended objectives. The transparency and acknowledgement also stimulates improved quality in reform processes on part of the GoG. Assessment of reforms is based on three components: a government survey, stakeholder survey and objective data (reform outcomes). On May 23, 2017, the Georgian Reform Progress Tracking System was launched and the project website – www.reformeter.iset-pi.ge – was presented to the public. The website presents reforms and their assessment results. Since the system’s launch, the following reforms have been assessed: 1. SME/Innovation Development; 2. Agricultural Development; 3. Capital Market Development; 4. Pension Reform; 5. Vocational Education and Training (VET) Reform. ReforMeter’s annual evaluation process is overseen by its Steering Committee consisting of: 1. Aleksi Aleksishvili - Chairman of the Board, Policy and Management Consulting Group (PMCG); 2. Jean-Frederic Paulsen - Chairman of the Governing Board of ISET, Businessman; 3. Bruno Balvanera - European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Director for the Caucasus, Moldova and Belarus; 4. Eric Livny (ex-officio member) - President, ISET and ISET Policy Institute (PI); 5. Giorgi Abashishvili – Head of President’s Administration; 6. Mariam Megvinetukhutsesi - Head the Secretariat of the Investors Council of Georgia; 7. Nato Beruashvili (ex-officio member) - Chief of Party at United States Agency for International Development, Governing for Growth (USAID G4G); 8. Sarah Williamson - Vice-President of American Chamber of Commerce in Georgia (AmCham). The Steering Committee has the following mandate: To select the set of economic reforms to be tracked (up to six per year); To guide the management team and make decisions of key operational issues; To allocate weights to each reform in ReformVerdict; To take part in the annual summary public-private dialogue (PPD) organized by ISET-PI, and nominate winners for the best government agencies and best reform; To nominate members of specific reform stakeholder groups and moderate their meetings (up to two times per year). Each member of the Steering Committee, except the Government/Parliament representative, leads one reform-specific group of stakeholders. He/she nominates/approves stakeholders, liaises with relevant public sector agencies, reviews survey questionnaire design and contributes to the choice of reform progress indicators to be tracked. The Government/Parliament representative participates in the selection of reforms to be tracked and helps link the ReforMeter team with relevant public entities. The project team consists of ISET-PI staff and researchers that manage the system through day-to-day activities including data collection, questionnaire design, surveys, events, etc. USAID | GOVERNING FOR GROWTH (G4G) IN GEORGIA GEORGIAN REFORM PROGRESS TRACKING