Authors

  • Teona Zurabashvili

    Teona Zurabashvili is a junior Policy Analyst at GIP. As a Swedish Institute scholar, she studied Master’s program in Political Science at Gothenburg University from 2018 to 2020. Besides, she has earned MA degree in International Relations from Georgian Institute of Public Affairs and BA degree in History from Tbilisi State University. In 2019, she was a research associate at Quality of Government Institute (Sweden), where she worked on corruption and gender issues. Her main research interests include democracy, good governance, corruption, and political parties in transitional democracies.

  • Shota Kakabadze

    Shota Kakabadze is a Junior Policy Analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics. He is a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science from the University of Tartu (Estonia). Shota has obtained his Masters degree in the European Union – Russia Studies from the same university. During his doctoral studies he has been a Swedish Institute Research Fellow at Uppsala University Institute of Russia and Eurasian Studies, as well as a Junior Researcher of International Relations at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu. His main research interest includes discourses on national identity, foreign policy, Eastern Partnership. He has published several academic articles and a book chapter on Georgian national identity/foreign policy relationship.

  • Salome Kandelaki

    Salome Kandelaki is currently a Project Coordinator and Junior Policy Analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics. Salome is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at Tbilisi State University. She is an invited lecturer at the European University, Georgia.  In 2017, she obtained her MA degree in Political Science from the Central European University Budapest. At the same time, she was specialized in Comparative Politics. Moreover, she has the second Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the joint program of German University of Administrative Sciences and Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Her previous work experience includes Fundraising Management at the Social Justice Center (former EMC).  She was also a leading acting specialist at the Tbilisi City Assembly as well as project management in different youth non-governmental organizations. Her field of experience is comparative case-study analyses with a particular focus on religion and democracy, regionalism and democratization. Among her research interests are Europeanization, frozen conflicts as well as secularism in Europe.

  • Nino Samkharadze

    Nino Samkharadze is a Junior Policy Analyst at GIP. At the same time, she is a PhD student at Tbilisi State University, Department of Political Science. She has obtained MA degree in Nationalism and Ethnicity Studies from TSU and BA degree in International Relations from International Black Sea University (IBSU). Being an invited lecturer at IBSU she delivers courses in Introduction to Political Science and Nationalism in International Relations. Nino’s research interests include nationalism, identity politics and their influence on political processes in the post-Soviet region.

25/05/2023 Teona Zurabashvili

WOMEN IN POLICY-MAKING: The Achilles Heel of Georgian Democracy

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Authors

  • Teona Zurabashvili

    Teona Zurabashvili is a junior Policy Analyst at GIP. As a Swedish Institute scholar, she studied Master’s program in Political Science at Gothenburg University from 2018 to 2020. Besides, she has earned MA degree in International Relations from Georgian Institute of Public Affairs and BA degree in History from Tbilisi State University. In 2019, she was a research associate at Quality of Government Institute (Sweden), where she worked on corruption and gender issues. Her main research interests include democracy, good governance, corruption, and political parties in transitional democracies.

  • Shota Kakabadze

    Shota Kakabadze is a Junior Policy Analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics. He is a Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science from the University of Tartu (Estonia). Shota has obtained his Masters degree in the European Union – Russia Studies from the same university. During his doctoral studies he has been a Swedish Institute Research Fellow at Uppsala University Institute of Russia and Eurasian Studies, as well as a Junior Researcher of International Relations at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu. His main research interest includes discourses on national identity, foreign policy, Eastern Partnership. He has published several academic articles and a book chapter on Georgian national identity/foreign policy relationship.

  • Salome Kandelaki

    Salome Kandelaki is currently a Project Coordinator and Junior Policy Analyst at the Georgian Institute of Politics. Salome is a Ph.D. student in Political Science at Tbilisi State University. She is an invited lecturer at the European University, Georgia.  In 2017, she obtained her MA degree in Political Science from the Central European University Budapest. At the same time, she was specialized in Comparative Politics. Moreover, she has the second Master’s degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the joint program of German University of Administrative Sciences and Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University. Her previous work experience includes Fundraising Management at the Social Justice Center (former EMC).  She was also a leading acting specialist at the Tbilisi City Assembly as well as project management in different youth non-governmental organizations. Her field of experience is comparative case-study analyses with a particular focus on religion and democracy, regionalism and democratization. Among her research interests are Europeanization, frozen conflicts as well as secularism in Europe.

  • Nino Samkharadze

    Nino Samkharadze is a Junior Policy Analyst at GIP. At the same time, she is a PhD student at Tbilisi State University, Department of Political Science. She has obtained MA degree in Nationalism and Ethnicity Studies from TSU and BA degree in International Relations from International Black Sea University (IBSU). Being an invited lecturer at IBSU she delivers courses in Introduction to Political Science and Nationalism in International Relations. Nino’s research interests include nationalism, identity politics and their influence on political processes in the post-Soviet region.

Publish Date:
25-05-2023

Political processes in Georgia have seemingly entered an impasse in recent years. Political parties are unable to compete ideologically and substantively, nor can they respond appropriately to the specific needs of various segments of Georgian society. One segment which is often overlooked is that of female voters, which constitute 52% of the total electorate.[1] This issue is especially relevant in anticipation of the 2024 parliamentary elections. More than a year remains before these elections, however, it is important for Georgian political parties to make the most of their efforts to offer a solid and issue-oriented agenda to voters and mobilize their support. To properly represent the interests of female voters in the political process, it is vital to work in both directions: to strengthen women’s representation in the political elite and in decision-making, to increase the political involvement of female voters, increase research into their specific needs and to develop response mechanisms to those needs.

Today most voters do not consider any political party to represent their own interests, and trust in political parties in the country has been significantly reduced. One of the main reasons for the prolonged political crisis is exactly this. Therefore, researching the specific needs and interests of voters and discussing them publicly should be one of the main activities of political parties, because usually female voters are much more active and motivated to participate in the political FOREWORD process. According to the recent public opinion polls, women in Georgia are less likely to approve that the country is developing in a right way. They are more critical about the democracy level in Georgia. Also, women have less trust in Georgian political parties.[2] Therefore, focusing specifically on this part of the electorate is an important task for the improvement of the political process in the country.

For the political elite to respond to women’s needs adequately, the role of female politicians and their political activism is crucial. That is why it is important to have active public discussions about strengthening the role of female politicians, the challenges they face, and their empowerment. In this regard, it is also crucial to develop internal democratic structures of political parties to activate the views of female politicians in their own parties and reflect them in party platforms. There is also a need for extensive discussion about how effectively Georgian political parties manage to reach female voters. That is, do they reflect issues important to female voters? This would in turn help parties plan their long-term strategy in the run-up to the election, and specifically during pre-election campaigns. Parliamentary discussions of the “Agents’ Law” in March 2023 demonstrated that the active work of female politicians can make positive changes in the political process. Therefore, the discussion on how to strengthen the role of female MPs in the legal process will significantly contribute to prioritizing the needs of female voters.

The Georgian Institute of Politics is pleased to present a collection of 2023 policy briefs addressing the current and actual political processes, challenges, and prospects in Georgia. We hope that the publication will lead to an interesting discussion in Georgian society. The documents and papers can be used as resources by political parties, as well as civil society representatives, industry experts, the academic community, and other stakeholders involved in the democratic development of our country.

This collection, as well as previous publications, could not be published without the support of important institutions operating in Georgia, including the Embassy of the Switzerland in Georgia. We also express our gratitude to the citizens of Georgia, civil society organizations, and the media for their continuous support of our work, and efforts to develop civil society organizations. Also, we are grateful for their contribution to strengthening the organizational basis of democratic institutions resulting in the development of democratic processes in Georgia.

Compendium of Policy Briefs | May 2023

 

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[1] Central Election Commission (2021). Elections 2021. Available at: https://cesko.ge/ge/archevnebi/2021 Last accessed: 25.04.2023.
[2] NDI (2023). Taking Georgians’ pulse Findings from March 2023 telephone survey. Available at: https:// cdniq.us1.myspdn.com/atsdpid1d6u5cmy4j61kro6gh/wp content/uploads/2023/05/NDI-Georgia_March- 2023-telephone-poll_Eng_PUBLIC-VERSION_FINAL_03.05.pdf Last accessed: 04.05.2023.
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Teona Zurabashvili

Teona Zurabashvili is a junior Policy Analyst at GIP. As a Swedish Institute scholar, she studied Master’s program in Political Science at Gothenburg University from 2018 to 2020. Besides, she has earned MA degree in International Relations from Georgian Institute of Public Affairs and BA degree in History from Tbilisi State University. In 2019, she was a research associate at Quality of Government Institute (Sweden), where she worked on corruption and gender issues. Her main research interests include democracy, good governance, corruption, and political parties in transitional democracies.