On Wednesday, April 14, the USAID’s Economic Governance Program facilitated the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between nine leading Georgian think tanks. The memorandum creates the Think Tank Consultative Group and enables the think tanks to work together to assist the government to lead the country out the crises caused by COVID-19. The analyses and research provided by the Think Tank Consultative Group will also help the government create a more sustainable economy.
The nine think tanks—ISET Policy Institute, PMC Research Center, Galt & Taggart, TBC Capital, TBSC Consulting, Georgian Parliamentary Research Center, TSU Center for Analysis and Forecasting, House of Business Studies, and the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies—will work together to develop economic policy based on the country’s economic reform priorities.
USAID Acting Mission Director Gagik Melkumyan opened the signing ceremony. Welcoming speeches were made by Davit Songulashvili - Chair of the Sector Economy and Economic Policy Committee and Natalia Beruashvili - Chief of Party the USAID Economic Governance Program.
The Government of Georgia recognizes that strong research and analysis are key to developing the reforms and strategies needed to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis with a stronger and more sustainable economy. To help the government design the best possible solutions for the problems facing the country, USAID established the Think Tank Consultative Group, a platform of nine prominent economic policy and research institutions in the country, which will assist the government to design priority policies.
In addition to initiating, coordinating, and establishing the Think Tank Consultative Group, the USAID Economic Governance Program also prepared a post COVID-19 report which explains the priority economic recovery areas. The Program will provide organizational support to the consultative group and plans to issue grants to conduct research on strategic reforms.
