A new book by Bidzina Lebanidze – “Russia, EU and the Post-Soviet Democratic Failure”

SpringerVS published a new book by GIP Senior Policy Analyst – Bidzina Lebanidze – “Russia, EU and the Post-Soviet Democratic Failure”. This publication is a part of the Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft book series (VGPO) By studying the influence of the two main external ac...
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GIP hosted its annual Democracy Conference “Polarization trap: Georgia’s democracy on the edge of trust crisis and the rise of populism” #GEODEM2019

The rise of populism and the polarization of political parties and the media are two of the most problematic issues that Georgia faces today along its path to democratization. In spite of the actuality of these topics, there is a lack of sufficient knowledge and academic discussion about these probl...
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Polarization: What do we know about it and what can we do to combat it?

Dr. Fernando Casal Bértoa[1] A specter is haunting Europe, the specter of polarization. In the last decade vote for anti-political-establishment parties, being them populist, radical and/or extreme has exponentially increased. And with it the distance between political parties and the irreconcilabl...
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Decreasing level of trust in Georgian political parties: What does it mean for democracy and how to avoid negative consequences?

Levan Kakhishvili[1] Trust in political parties in Georgia has dropped from 21 percent in 2012 to 8 percent in 2017. Although the level of trust has never been particularly high, this trend should raise concern and inspire political parties to act. Political trust is mostly determined by societal be...
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GIP Commentary: When an Election Damages Democracy: Lessons from the 2018 Georgia’s Presidential Election 

Kornely Kakachia, Bidzina Lebanidze Georgia’s recent presidential elections exposed many of the problems that have been aggravating the country’s democratization process over the last few years. By electing the country’s first female president, Georgia has made one step forward — but the...
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GIP participates in the roundtable discussion on Georgia’s Europeanisation at Clingendael

On October 22, GIP Director, Kornely Kakachia and GIP Deputy Director – Renata Skardžiūtė-Kereselidze, were invited to speak at the roundtable discussion – “Prospects and Challenges for the Europeanisation of Georgia” by Clingendael Institute in the Hague, Netherlands. With the launch of...
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Democratization and Europeanization in Georgia: How to lead the process?

Levan Kakhishvili, Elene Panchulidze Despite the fact that European integration is a priority for the Georgian government, public opinion polls demonstrate that there is a lack of public awareness about the processes of Europeanization and democratization. It is not always clear to an average Georgi...
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Open Government Partnership (OGP) through the citizens’ lens – Why do we need OGP more than we think?

Ketevan Goletiani According to the 2018 Freedom House report, Georgia remains classified as a hybrid regime with an aggregated score of 64 out of 100. Despite improvements in recent years, the country has faced setbacks in democratic development in terms of informal governance; the impact of oligarc...
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GIP held discussions in Georgian regions about Democratization and Europeanization challenges in Georgia

On 19-28 June, the Georgian Institute of Politics (GIP) held discussions in Georgian regions about Democratization and Europeanization challenges in Georgia. Telavi, Batumi, Kutaisi and Gori Centers for Civic Engagement hosted GIP director – Kornely Kakachia and policy analysts – Levan Kakhishvi...
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Church and Politics or Church in Politics: How does the Georgian Orthodox Church Impact Georgia’s European Integration Policy?

Vladimer Narsia This policy brief analyzes the role of the Georgian Orthodox Church (GOC) in Georgian society, particularly in the context of promoting the European integration process. The paper consists of three sections: sermons and preaching that influence European integration policy; the Church...
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