National Human Development Report - 2001/02 Georgia

The Report focuses on poverty with the aim of contributing to the current debate within Georgia on the government's new poverty-reduction strategy. The Report explores different definitions and ways of measuring poverty, finding that the official 'poverty line' is considered unrealistically low by the general public, making it difficult for them to accept the poverty-reduction strategy as a whole. The Report therefore suggests an alternative method to calculate the 'poverty line' and includes, for the first time, a disaggregation of HDI at the regional level. The report goes on to investigate the causes of poverty to reveal the obstacles families face in securing a decent standard of living. These include lack of education, exorbitant healthcare costs, and unequal income distribution. The Report concludes with suggestions on how to improve the government's proposal, including more responsible spending, rooting out mismanagement in government, and improving the business environment. Finally, good governance is highlighted as one of the most crucial aspects in the fight against poverty.