The International Centre for Social Research and Policy Analysis (ICSRPA), an independent think tank specializing in policy analysis and management consultancy, was established on 17 September, 2004. The Centre is based on the best knowledge resources of the world leading universities and promotes the processes of conceptual change, reforms and development through providing policy analysis, consulting and training courses to public, private, and non-governmental organizations in wide range of issues including globalization, knowledge economy, national and regional competitiveness, innovation policy, regional clusters, strategic management and strategic planning, leadership and organizational change, HR Management, marketing strategy etc.
The main mission of the Centre is to bring and disseminate the best knowledge resources, benchmark national standards of educational programs, launch innovative actions for political, economic, socio-cultural and technological modernization and promote the creation of social capital and knowledge-based economic system in Georgia.
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Elene Chkheidze As the Executive Director of the International Centre for Social Research and Policy Analysis, Elene brings over 15 years of experience in project management. She leads the organization’s mission to advance innovative research and provide insightful analysis on critical social issues affecting communities globally. |
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The Chairman of the Centre is Dr. George Ivaniashvili-Orbeliani. He is a Member of the New York Academy of Sciences; Visiting Fellow at the Elliott School of International Affairs of George Washington University, Visiting Professor at the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies, European University Institute;Visiting Professor at the Institute of Advanced Studies, University of Bologna; Visiting Scholar at the Centre of International Studies, University of Cambridge; Fellow of 21st Century Trust at the University of Oxford; Member of the Central Eurasian Studies Society at Harvard University; Fellow of Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI); an Associate Expert at Global Development Network under the auspices of the World Bank; Fellow of Central Eurasian Leadership Academy/East-West Institute (EWI) based in New York, USA; Member of Royal Institute of International Affairs Based at Chatham House in London (2006); Fellow of Salzburg Global Seminar at Salzburg, Austria (2001, 2008; Fellow of the Washington Institute for Public-Private Partnerships, Washington D.C., USA; MPhil graduate from the Victoria University of Manchester , UK. His biography has been included in Who’s Who in the World, which is the most comprehensive biographical directory of notable individuals, whose achievements and success are worthy of recognition. |
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Dr. Alec Hansen specializes in regional and industry competitiveness and economic strategy development. He is president of the Economic Competitiveness Group, Inc., a consulting firm based in San Francisco. He is also a former president (currently on the Board of Advisors) of The Competitiveness Institute, a professional organization that includes the top practitioners of competitiveness approaches to economic development world-wide. In this capacity, he has traveled and lectured widely with a mission to improve the understanding of competitiveness and to raise professional standards in this fast-moving field.
Dr. Hansen’s work has centered on finding effective methods for engaging the public and private sectors in productive partnerships for economic development. He has worked in over 30 countries, including Turkey, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Denmark, Brazil, Mexico, Morocco, Malaysia, Indonesia, Georgia, South Africa, Argentina, and the United States, using a competitiveness framework that helps set the stage for genuine transformation of a regional economy. Most of these engagements have featured cluster-based approaches, where export-based economic drivers become the focus of policies and programs designed to have impacts all along the value chain to make the region more competitive. His research themes include: the exploration of technology development issues and related technology strategy planning; small enterprise development; public/private sector collaboration; profiles of civic entrepreneurship; and the role of agglomeration, networking, clustering and innovation in economic development. Dr. Hansen earned his B.A. in economics from U.C. Berkeley, and his Ph.D. in economics from Boston University. |
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James Clark Plexico is former State Senator from North Carolina, State President in North Carolina of Law and Government Affairs for AT&T, and owner of an international real estate company based in London, Tehran and Hong Kong. James Clark Plexico has many years of international experience in business and education, including over a decade of living and working in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. He is a member of the Royal Institute of International Affairs (London), the Southern Center for International Studies, and the Society of International Business Fellows. He serves as facilitator for the Central Eurasia Leadership Alliance (CELA) in Istanbul, Turkey, working with emerging leaders from the nine countries of Central Asia and the Caucasus on leadership development, and in creating leadership networks throughout that region. While representing AT&T he was responsible for the development and implementation of public policy initiatives in North Carolina, directed legislative and regulatory advocacy, managed the grass-tops and grass-roots efforts, led the corporate citizenship involvement and directed the company’s philanthropy in the state. He also served as Director of Southern Region Political Advocacy for the nine-state region, and was the National Corporate Representative to the National Attorneys-General Association. Prior to joining AT&T Plexico was elected to four terms in the North Carolina Senate, and served as Co-Chair for both the Education and the Education Appropriations Committees. He also chaired the committee having oversight and appropriations responsibility for state agencies, and was very active in economic development and environmental efforts. He earned his master’s degree in International Relations (with Honors) from the London Program of the University of Southern California, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. In addition, he has been Adjunct Professor at North Carolina State University, UNC-Asheville, and Western Carolina University in both Middle East History and Politics and American Government and Politics. Over the years Plexico has served on many statewide and regional boards, including the World Trade Center North Carolina (Chairman), the Progress Board (Chair of Executive Committee), Smart Start (Vice-Chair), NC Citizens for Business and Industry (Chair of Education Committee), Western Carolina Board of Trustees, Duke University Fuqua School of Business CIBER Advisory Board, NC Telecommunications Industry Association, International Affairs Council, NC Committee on Economic Education. |
