Georgia in Transition

Georgia is a small country located in the Caucasus, which gained independence in April 1991 after several decades of socialistic structures of the Soviet Union. Like all other post Soviet countries, Georgia had to face the challenges of the transition process towards democracy and market economy. Today, more than 15 years after the beginning of the transition process, a lot has changed. This book portrays the development of Georgia in this difficult period. It gives an overview of the experiences Georgia has gone through during transition. The first part of this book deals with the jurisprudential and (security) political aspects of transformation. The section covers the problems concerning statehood and democratization in Georgia as well as electoral procedures. The second part of the anthology deals with the challenges arising from the transition from a planned economy toward market oriented economic structures, which Georgia has to face. Land use change and environmental problems are the main topics of the book’s third part. Additionally, the book covers issues regarding climate change.

The Editors: Lorenz King, born in 1945, studied Geography, Biology, and Geology at the University of Basel (Switzerland). He received his Ph.D. from the University of Basel in 1973 and his Habilitation from the University of Heidelberg (Germany) in 1982. Since 1983 he is Professor for Physical Geography at the University of Giessen (Germany) and leader of Section 1, Natural Resources and Environment at the Centre of International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU). Giorgi Khubua, born in 1964, studied Law at the State University of Abkhazia (Georgia) with the specialization «Jurisprudence». Since 2005 he is Professor of Methods of Law, Philosophy of Law and Sociology of Law at the Tbilisi State University (Georgia). Additionally he is a member of the European Society for Legislative Support, the International Union of Philosophy, Theory and Sociology of Law and the International Association of Political Sciences.

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