Can government reforms be branded? Looks like President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration in Georgia is going to give it a shot.
Georgian government officials are looking for ways to spread the word about homegrown reform concepts, such the Georgian Justice Ministry’s latest star innovation - public service halls. The halls are designed to serve as a one-stop shopping venue for a wide variety of government services, a place where citizens can do anything from obtaining a marriage license to incorporating a business.
As an encore, the Justice Ministry is planning to open a drive-thru version of the hall, where getting a passport could be as easy as ordering a hamburger.
A new state agency, the Georgia Reforms and Partnership Enterprise (GRAPE), is being tasked with responsibility for raising international awareness about Tbilisi’s reform prowess. GRAPE is currently developing a guide to the country’s reforms, one that will no doubt tout how Georgia during Saakashvili’s tenure has made great strides in containing corruption, while becoming one of the easiest places to do business in the world.
While Georgia has enjoyed economic reform success, it’s a more complicated story when it comes to politics. Judging by evaluations made by Freedom House, a democracy watchdog group, the Saakashvili administration’s record on democratization is not so stellar. Georgia’s democratization ranking, as determined by Freedom House, has remained virtually unchanged over the past seven years, thanks to some backsliding in 2011.
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