Browsing by Author "Kvinikadze, Giorgi"
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Item Foreign Trade Problems in the Occupied Regions of Georgia(Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi state university, Faculty of social and political sciences, 2021-06) Kvinikadze, GiorgiThe study of the economies of the occupied regions of Georgia (with some exceptions, most of which are of an informative nature), especially the study of their foreign economicrelations, has not yet become the subject of scientific research. How do the occupied regions choose their trading partners? What factors determine this choice? Which countries are their official or informal trading partners? What is the commodity structure of their foreign trade? These are the questions that need to be discussed scientifically in the social sciences. The purpose of this study is to make a modest contribution to these discussions by examining the geographic and commodity structure of foreign trade in the occupied regions of Georgia. However, it should be noted that the study provides a generalized picture of the foreign trade of these regions and will focus only on those empirical data that are suitable for the research aspect. Why are these occupied regions? The choice of these regions as empirical cases is due to several reasons. These regions play an important role in achieving the geopolitical goals of Russia in the Caucasus region, therefore, in addition to the theoretical significance, the article also acquires practical significance. On the other hand, since these regions are de jure part of Georgia, the work acquires a certain relevance. The study uses Temporal and spatial approaches. The main method is the Case Study method. To collect and analyze data, the study uses such specific methodological techniques as: 1. Analysis of primary sources - content analysis of official documents related to foreign trade; 2. Analysis of secondary sources - scientific literature that exists on the subject under study. This applies to both theoretical literature and research directly related to the occupied region. The situation between Georgia and the occupied territories did not improve after the 2008 war. However, informal trade between Georgia and the occupied regions has intensified. The volume of foreign trade between Abkhazia and other countries has also increased. Despite the controversy, Georgia tried to legalize trade. In 2017, Georgia and Russia began negotiations on the creation of a trade corridor through the so-called South Ossetia. At the same time, the European Union began to consider various options for including the Abkhazian business within the framework of the free trade agreement between Georgia and the European Union. Although the process of implementing such initiatives is going through a crisis at this stage, it still opens up certain opportunities. In particular, the powerful economic stimulus that these regions received from the Russian Federation is gradually weakening due to the economic situation in Russia. This process has intensified especially since 2014, when the West introduced tough sanctions against Russia and at the same time the price of oil on the world market fell sharply. That is why the governments of Abkhazia and the so-called South Ossetia, which officially oppose trade with Georgia, are at the same time considering the possibility of raising customs duties in order to increase their source of income regardless of Russia. Informal trade continues to develop. However, it is less likely that the so-called South Ossetian corridor or the possibility of expanding the privileges of the European Union in Abkhazia will arise very soon. Trade by itself will not change the main political position of either side and will not resolve the conflict (a political settlement of which is still a distant prospect). Nevertheless, negotiations on the development of mutually beneficial trade can help launch communication channels that have been tightly closed for a long time. This is a chance to close the so-called black holes of informal trade and turn it into a formal framework. At the same time, we need to establish a dialogue in this specific area with the active participation of our Western partners. It is important that the benefits from the process of Georgia's European integration become available to both Abkhazia and the population of the so-called South Ossetia.Item Geo-Economic Landscape of the South Caucasus(Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi state university, Faculty of social and political sciences, 2019-06) Kvinikadze, Giorgi; კვინიკაძე, გიორგიThe South Caucasus is a prominent region in the global economic system. Its economic potential suggests, that in the world economy system the region will not be a passive consumer at all, but it can contribute to the world economy and the world scientific production potential. This is largely dependent on how its geo-economic landscape will be formed. The purpose of the study is to analyze the actors who influence the formation of the geo-economic landscape of the region. The study is designed to answer two basic questions: 1. What is the geo-economic landscape in the South Caucasus? and 2. Which areas are the most vulnerable in this regard. The work relates to qualitative research. The main methods used, were the Case-Study method, the cartographic and comparative analysis methods. For the analysis of the geo-economic landscape, appropriate indicators were selected. Geo-economics is a unique foreign economic strategy of the state, aimed at achieving specific geopolitical goals of the state. Based on the marked for geoeconomic analysis of the South Caucasus countries (SCC), the following indicators were selected: Participation in global trade; Perception of corruption;Global competitiveness; Foreign direct investment; Economic freedom; The level of education; Innovation; IT development; Militarization of GDP%; Knowledge economy index; Control corruption; Quality management; Foreign trade balance. A separate analysis was conducted to assess the geo-economic activity of governments. For this purpose, a total management quality indicator was used, which includes: Taking into account public opinion and accountability of state bodies; Political stability and lack of violence; Government performance;Quality of legislation; Law supremacy. The formation of an optimal geo-economic landscape of the region is complicated by the fact that the geographical location has taken the SCC hostage to the global geopolitical project of its northern neighbor and not only. The Caucasian factor in the modern system of international relations will long remain in the forefront politically and military-strategically, but only secondary to the economic. And this means that the era of future economic prosperity is an even more remote perspective for the peoples of the region. In the process of the study, problems were found to restrain the geo- economic activity of the region. In particular: Small size of the domestic market SCC; Lack of priorities in the conduct of foreign economic policy; Difficulties associated with the implementation of export products (the emergence of a competitor, the replacement of technology, market saturation); Insufficient development of modern technologies for the production of industrial products; Political instability; Low geo-economic activity of governments, often due to lack of experience; The instability of foreign markets; High level of capital dependence on exports. However, these problems had a different impact on the foreign economic policy of the SCC, who have their own legitimate national benchmarks of external interests. The uniqueness of the economic market of the South Caucasus and economic pragmatism can be considered as the initial model for the formation of the future common geo-economic space. Therefore, the main geo-economic task of the SСC government, in the relations of its neighbors, along with transcontinental economic projects, should be to stimulate business, to encourage trade and business activity. The author has no illusions that the formation of such a space will occur in the near future. However, in the era of globalization of the world economy, processes accelerated, which does not exclude the development of events according to the specified scenario.Item Strange Bedfellows - a Comparative Analysis of Economic Geography and Geo-economics(2020) Melikidze, Valerian; Kvinikadze, GiorgiStarting approximately from the second half of the 20th century every scientific discipline (being that natural or social science), which is to some extent related to societal development problems, undergoes non-stop transformation. This is not the case of politization or ideologization of these disciplines (whole or their parts). Such happens sooner or later almost automatically. One may cite at least parts 19th century Western European geography or anthropology, which openly served interests of European colonial expansion of that time. The ongoing transformation is of the more fundamental character. As a matter of fact, we deal with formation of a number of disciplines that directly aim at serving interests of government authorities or influential players which (at least formally) are not affiliated with these authorities. These disciplines consult their clients on current and strategic policy making and are directly involved in popularization and implementation of these policies. We feel necessary to mark such research disciplines as a separate class “executive sciences”. This group is by no means homogenous. It can be differentiated as follows: • Research disciplines, which were directly formed based on “top-down” initiatives. Such are, for instance, numerous disciplines associated with sustainable development, green (and by now with blue) economy; • Research disciplines emerging within existing natural science disciplines, which directly serve interests of influential groups within (global?) society. Their retain names of their disciplines, inside which they emerged and develop, although they do not have much to do with the original principles of parent disciplines. Such are for instance concurrent natural and (quasi) social research areas in ecology and climatology; • Research disciplines, which were forming by cloning the preexisting research disciplines within social sciences. These form the strange bedfellows. They do not severe completely all ties with disciplines, through which they emerged, but at the same time attempt to distance themselves as much as possible from the former, in order to emphasize the particular importance, which is ascribed to them in policy development and implementation by international organizations and national governments. Such couples are for example political geography – geopolitics, economic geography-geo-economics. Our presentation aims at analyzing development patterns of strange bedfellows - economic geography and geo-economics, their current state, and to evaluate, how are they related or differentiated depending on concrete goals achieving which they serve.