Interrelations between Public Policies, Migration and Development in Georgia
Interrelations between Public Policies, Migration and Development in Georgia is the result of a project carried out by the Caucasus Research Resource Center (CRRC-Georgia) and the OECD Development Centre, in collaboration with the State Commission on Migration Issues (SCMI) and with support from the European Union. The project aimed to provide policy makers with evidence on the way migration influences specific sectors – the labour market, agriculture, education and investment and financial services – and, in turn, how sectoral policies affect migration. The report addresses three dimensions of the migration cycle that have changed remarkably in Georgia over the last 20 years: emigration, remittances and return.
The results of the empirical work confirm that even though migration contributes to the development of Georgia, the potential of migration is not fully exploited. One explanation is that, despite headway in the field of migration and development through the creation of the SCMI, not all policy makers in Georgia take migration sufficiently into account in their respective policy areas. Georgian authorities therefore need to adopt a more coherent policy agenda and better integrate migration into their sectoral strategies to enhance the contribution of migration to development in the country.
Migration, investments and financial services in Georgia
OECD Development Centre
Migration and remittances have the potential to promote development through household investments in entrepreneurial activities and other types of productive investments. This chapter explores if and under what conditions migration is likely to promote investment, and how sectoral policies linked to investments and financial services may affect migration investment decisions in Georgia. The chapter starts by giving an overview of financial inclusion and the investment sector in Georgia. It then examines if and how emigration, return migration and remittances can spur investments in entrepreneurship and real estate assets. Finally, the chapter discusses the role of public policies, particularly sectoral policies related to financial inclusion and financial training, for remittance decisions. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the policy recommendations of the findings.