Practical Economics : : Economic Transformation and Government Reform in Georgia 2004-2012.

• Author: Gilauri, Nika.
• Place / Publishing House: Cham : : Springer International Publishing AG,, 2017.; ©2017.
• Year of Publication: 2017
• Edition: 1st ed.
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (220 pages)

Table of Contents

Intro -- Practical Economics -- Preface -- Notes -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- List of Figures -- 1 Carpe Diem -- 1.1 Learning from Georgia -- 1.1.1 Laboratory of Reforms -- 1.1.2 Everything that Could Have Happened, Had Happened -- 1.1.3 Unique, but Exemplary -- 1.2 Georgia Before and After -- 1.2.1 Corruption -- 1.2.2 Ease of Doing Business -- 1.2.3 Economic Growth -- 1.2.4 Energy Supply -- 1.3 Room for Improvement -- Notes -- 2 Fighting Corruption -- 2.1 Don't Waste a Crisis -- 2.2 Incentives: Carrots and Sticks -- 2.3 Simplification: The Devil Is in the Details, Unless the Details Are Simple -- 2.4 Regulatory Restraint: Less Is More -- 2.4.1 Growth Maximization -- 2.4.2 Enforceability -- 2.5 Enforcement: Checks and Balances -- 2.6 Procurement - Balancing Transparency with Flexibility -- 2.7 Trust Regained and Books Rebalanced -- 2.8 Bonus Systems -- 2.9 Outlook -- Notes -- 3 Rightsizing Fiscal and Monetary Policies -- 3.1 Rightsizing the Government - Budget Optimum -- 3.1.1 Forward-Looking Fiscal Policy -- 3.1.2 One Budget Principle -- 3.1.3 Public Investment Ratio vs. Budget Deficit -- 3.2 Taking a Risk with Anti-austerity -- 3.2.1 What Georgia Did -- 3.2.2 Why It Worked -- 3.3 Institutional Implications -- 3.3.1 IFI Assistance Can Be a Liability -- 3.3.1.1 Lack of Coordination -- 3.3.1.2 Conflicts of Interest -- 3.3.1.3 Issues with Loans -- 3.3.1.4 The Special Coordination Team -- 3.3.1.5 Lessons Learned -- 3.3.2 No More Chinese Walls? -- 3.3.3 Inflation Can Be an Asset -- Notes -- 4 Creating a Business-Friendly Climate -- 4.1 The Hub Economy -- 4.2 Georgia's "Doing Business" Reforms -- 4.2.1 One Government Principle -- 4.2.2 Silence Is Consent -- 4.2.3 Fee-Based Service Delivery -- 4.2.4 Ex Ante vs. Ex Post Licensing -- 4.2.5 Piggybacking -- 4.2.6 Regulatory Guillotine -- 4.2.7 Sunset Clause Approach.

4.3 Thoughts on the World Bank's Methodology -- 4.4 "Doing Business" Reforms in Kazakhstan -- Notes -- 5 Reforming Taxes and Customs -- 5.1 Tax Code Simplification -- 5.2 Mediation -- 5.3 IT-Enabled Risk Assessment and Outsourcing of Audits -- 5.4 Additional Measures -- 5.4.1 Mystery Shopping -- 5.4.2 Lottery on Receipts -- 5.4.3 Electronic Tracking and Tracing -- 5.5 Bazars -- 5.6 The Estonian Model -- 5.7 Customs Reform -- Notes -- 6 Privatizing State-Owned Enterprises -- 6.1 The Challenge -- 6.2 The Five-Step Process -- 6.3 The Outcome in Georgia -- 6.4 Strategic Assets -- 6.5 Partnership Funds -- Notes -- 7 Reforming the Energy Sector -- 7.1 Georgia's Energy Sector in 2004 -- 7.2 Temporary Centralization of Command for Improved Accountability -- 7.3 Change of Staff and Management Contracts to End Corruption -- 7.4 Communal Metering to Drive up Collection Rates -- 7.5 From Single Buyer to Deregulated Structure -- 7.6 Checks and Balances -- 7.7 Introduction of a Fact-Based Tariff System -- 7.8 New Market Rules -- 7.9 The Kazbegi Cucumber Case -- 8 Welfare − Focusing on the Neediest with a Simple Scoring Model -- 8.1 Welfare in Georgia Before 2004 -- 8.2 Social Subsidies as Electoral Bribes -- 8.3 Corruption and Inefficiency -- 8.4 Inbuilt Inertia -- 8.5 Starting from Scratch with a Scoring Model -- Notes -- 9 Healthcare - Unleashing the Power of Public-Private Partnership -- 9.1 The Solidarity Challenge -- 9.2 The Special Insurance Program -- 9.3 Initial Setbacks -- 9.4 Healthcare Clusters -- 9.5 Human Resource Development -- 9.6 Resolving Conflicts of Interest -- 9.7 The End State -- 9.8 Later Developments -- Notes -- 10 Education - School Financing and University Reform -- 10.1 School Reform - Diverting the Flow of Financing from Schools to Students -- 10.1.1 The Long Haul -- 10.1.2 Bribes over Brains -- 10.1.3 Getting Started.

10.1.4 School Financing: Money Follows Students -- 10.1.5 The Black Hole -- 10.1.6 Reforming the Reform -- 10.1.7 Results -- 10.1.8 Broken English -- 10.2 University Reform - From Lenin to Clinton -- 10.2.1 Degrees for Sale -- 10.2.2 Partial Privatization and Scholarships -- 10.2.3 Matching Skills to Vacancies -- 10.2.4 An American University in Georgia -- Notes -- 11 Formula for Leadership -- 11.1 Team -- 11.2 Vision -- 11.3 Action -- 11.4 The Russian Invasion -- 11.5 Trading Jack for Benjamin -- 11.6 The War Room -- Notes -- Afterword - From Plutocracy to Meritocracy -- References -- Index.