International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University

The International School of Economics (ISET) was founded at Tbilisi State University in 2006 through a unique collaborative effort of the World Bank, BP, Open Society Institute, and the governments of Georgia, Germany, Sweden and Norway. The CERGE-EI Foundation has been a major funder of ISET since 2008 through the Teaching Fellows Program.

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Unique Academic Excellence in the South Caucasus

Serving Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, ISET offers a two-year Masters in Economics. The program adheres to international academic standards with English language instruction by visiting and resident international faculty. Program graduates occupy analytical positions with economic policy agencies in all three countries. About 10 percent continue their education in the most prestigious Ph.D. programs in Europe and North America, such as Stanford University, the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania. 

With support from the CERGE-EI Foundation Teaching Fellows Program, ISET added a BA in Economics and Finance program in Fall 2017.

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Independent Policy Research

ISET's Policy Institute (ISET-PI), established in 2011 to complement ISET's educational mission, is one of the first university-based think-tanks in the region. In addition to providing independent policy research and training, ISET-PI reaches out to the broader academic, policy and business communities in the South Caucasus. It is supported from inception by the Open Society Institute’s Think Tank Fund. ISET-PI is a member of the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE) network.