Policy Forum 

# Georgia’s Transformation into a Modern Market Democracy 

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Date and Time 

May 13, 2008 12 - 1:30 PM EDT 

Location 

1st floor/Wintergarden 

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##### Featuring 

Featuring **Kakha Bendukidze**, Head of the State Chancellery, Georgia, with comments by **Andrei Illarionov**, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute, and Former Economic Adviser to Russia’s President Vladimir Putin. Moderated by **Ian Vásquez**, Cato Institute. 

Following the Rose Revolution of 2003, the former Soviet Republic of Georgia began far-reaching reforms in governance and economic policy that are turning the country into a post-socialist success story. Georgia now ranks 44th out of 141 countries on the *Economic Freedom of the World* index, is cited by the World Bank as one of the world’s leading reformers, and is sustaining economic growth of more than 9 percent per year. Kakha Bendukidze, one of Georgia’s key reformers, will explain how his country is rapidly modernizing and will share his vision for continued high growth in a sometimes hostile neighborhood. Andrei Illarionov will assess Georgia’s progress and highlight its remaining challenges in consolidating democratic capitalism.

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