Democratic backsliding in Georgia?

Levan Kakhishvili Originally posted by Institute for European Politics (IEP) There is a long tradition in Georgia of reforming the electoral system. Each government has tried to adjust the system in a way that would help to guarantee the preservation of its own power. In June 2019, against the backg...
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From “peaceful protests” to “manifestation of depravity”: How did the Georgian Dream present the June crisis to the public?

Levan Kakhishvili In the context of democratization and democratic consolidation, internal political crises, caused by either external shocks or dynamics in the domestic arena, pose a significant challenge to the stability of the Georgian political system. Such crises can jeopardize not only interna...
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Strategic Communication and Crisis Management: Analysing the Cases of Georgia and Lithuania

Levan Kakhishvili, Donatas Puslys In the context of democratization and democratic consolidation, internal political crises, caused by either external shocks or dynamics in the domestic arena, pose a significant challenge to the stability of the Georgian political system. Such crises can jeopardize ...
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Reporting on EU-Related Issues by Local Media Outlets in Georgia: Effectiveness of Government-Media Cooperation #ReportEU

Levan Kakhishvili Informing the public about the European Union (EU) (its functions, goals, etc.) is a complex task. Given its scope, this task cannot be exclusive to government agencies. In its own efforts, the government of Georgia needs partners to disseminate information....
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Protests in Tbilisi: What can be learned about the role of Russia as an issue in Georgian party competition?

Levan Kakhishvili[1] Protests and demonstrations are not uncommon in Georgia. However, the recent wave of protests that started on June 20 was still unexpected. The demonstration started against the Russian MP from the Communist Party, Sergei Gavrilov, who is also the President of the General Assemb...
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Compendium of Policy Briefs 2019

Salome Minesashvili, Levan Kakhishvili,Bidzina Lebanidze, Nino Robakidze The four policy briefs in the publication introduce policy recommendations to tackle the trust crisis, polarization, and populism in Georgia. In particular, the publication focuses on the effect the decreasing level of trust in...
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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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The socializing effects of Georgian parties’ membership in European political party federations

Levan Kakhishvili Building a functioning party political system is a complex process that is influenced by a range of factors. On the other hand, the nature of party politics also shapes the process of democratization. That means that, without the foundation of relevant political party system, it is...
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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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