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There is limited participatory research, including, organic winemakers and none with natural winemakers. To get a preliminary insight into the perspectives of Georgian natural winemakers, this research aims to identify their perceptions regarding the major problems facing Georgia’s wine industry by applying Q-methodology. The research uncovers two existing perspectives and provides relevant policy suggestions for the Georgian wine sector.

This research applied Q-methodology. Ten in-person Q-sorts and interviews were carried out in Georgia, with five natural winemakers filling out an additional follow-up survey rating 26 possible policy recommendations to increase the relevance of the study’s findings.

The study revealed two groups of winemakers: the idealists and the pragmatists. The idealists are characterised by their focus on environmental awareness and a lack of trust of government institutions. The pragmatists focus on production-related issues, such as lack of financing and lack of irrigation infrastructure. The development of a local wine bottle supplier, regulation of agro-chemical use and a leading role for natural winemakers in teaching about organic viticulture were the most positively rated policy recommendations.

Using the research results, relevant sectoral policies can be drawn up that support the sustainable development of Georgia’s wine sector and help with the establishment of Georgian wine on the international market.

The growth of natural winemaking through small-scale producers could improve the environmental sustainability of the wine industry in Georgia, as well as reduce rural poverty through increased rural household income and employment.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no participatory research currently exists that includes natural winemakers and their attitudes, and there are no participative studies with Georgian winemakers. This is the first study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, to apply Q-methodology and a follow-up survey exclusively to Georgian natural winemakers and provides a first insight into their perceptions.

The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast wine sales in neighboring franchise law and non‐franchise law states in order to determine impact on wine price, consumer choice, consumer satisfaction, and stakeholder perception.

The study used qualitative interviews with 14 wineries, distributors, and retailers, statistical analysis of Nielsen Scantrack data, and an online survey of 401 wine consumers in Georgia and Florida, USA.

Results show statistical proof that Florida offers more wine selection and lower wine prices on matching brands than Georgia. Qualitative interviews indicate wineries, distributors, and retailers perceive differences in wine choice, price, and overall operating costs in these two states. However, there was no statistical difference between a sample of 401 consumers from Georgia and Florida when asked about their satisfaction level with wine choice and pricing within their state.

For practical purposes, the research was limited to only two US states. It would be useful to duplicate this study in other states.

Practical implications include the need for new wineries desiring to enter franchise law states to carefully research regulations and distributors before making a commitment, as well as the social issue of less wine choice and higher prices for consumers in Georgia versus Florida.

This is the first empirical study in the USA to focus on the impact of wine franchise laws on consumer choice and wine price. It yields useful information that contributes to the body of knowledge for wine and policy research.

Purpose – The chapter explores the newly launched Teacher Certification Examinations (TCEs) in one of the post-Soviet countries, Georgia, and describes the experiences and perceptions of Georgian teachers going through the process of teacher certification. The qualitative study develops an in-depth understanding of the perceived strength and weaknesses of TCE in Georgia.Methodology – This case study was carried out in the spring of 2012 in 17 Georgian schools. School teachers and school principals from public and private schools were interviewed. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit all participants. In addition to data obtained from research participants, various policy documents, laws on general education, minister's decrees, and statistical databases are analyzed and incorporated into the study.Findings – The data analyses showed that while the certification policy, in some way, increased teachers’ social status and prestige in the society, it failed to meet teachers’ expectations regarding remuneration policy and professional development opportunities. The TCE, without an adequate compensation policy as well as other types of incentives to increase teacher motivation, creates only a technical threshold for teachers to obtain a teacher certificate to secure jobs, rather than being a catalyst for a genuine professional development opportunity.Value – The study is the first attempt to empirically examine the teacher certification process in Georgia, thus it fills a knowledge gap that exists in the field. The Georgian TCE is the first TCE in south Caucasus; thus, the study of the implementation and outcomes of the Georgian reform provides a unique opportunity for the region and for the rest of the developing world to learn from the successes and failures of the reform process.

Continuing work by US and Canadian community and technical colleges with colleagues and partners at higher education institutions offering vocational education programs in the Republic of Georgia provides a useful case study of how key elements of the community college model can be applied to reform programs affecting educational policy systems in emerging market economies. This chapter uses a theoretical framework informed by research on public–private partnerships and community capitals to analyze workforce education and training initiatives informed by government, industry, and community needs. Examples of such initiatives include infusing workforce skills and competencies into vocational education curricula, updating pedagogical methods through retraining for teachers, and expanding the governance paradigm of vocational education programs offered at universities, colleges, and vocational centers to reflect the importance of the workforce needs of business and industry. To actively apply a community college model in the Republic of Georgia and elsewhere requires (1) supportive partners among educational policymakers and academics, (2) international donors who continue their commitment to a reform initiative over enough time to see results, and (3) an approach which focuses on national and regional workforce development priorities. Students, parents, and other community stakeholders also need to understand that one of the most important measurements for vocational education reform over time is expanded job opportunities for students after graduation.

Library spaces are being reimagined to better fit the needs of today’s and future users. At the Georgia Tech Library, a new library space, currently called the “Library Store,” is being developed as part of the “Library Next” initiative. How can this space best attract users and how can it work to intuit their needs to offer more seamless services? Careful planning and dedicated participation on the part of library management and library staff have set into motion a design for a new space that will meet user needs immediately and will be flexible enough to respond to their ever-changing use patterns.

This chapter explores the relationship between staff needs, user needs, and institutional needs when tasked with creating a library space and services in the 21st century academic library. It explores the development of the “Library Store” as a case study to shed light on the ways in which academic libraries can adapt to the research and learning needs of their users.

The authors provide insight into the complexities of leveraging existing staff skills in order to offer new user services in a space that boasts a new and updated design. They also detail the lessons learned from the initial planning stages of the new space and services.

This chapter considers user and library staff needs from a management perspective when planning a redesign of space and services. This library is one of only a few that has embarked on this specific model of space and service reimagining.

This study investigates the relation between residential property values and both property taxes and public services in Georgia’s counties. Capitalization theory predicts that property values relate negatively to property taxes, and positively to public services. Palmon and Smith (1998) state that errors in public service measures create a capitalization coefficient bias that makes it difficult to isolate tax effects from public service effects. This paper is a first step in defining and quantifying public services and their marginal effect on housing values. It develops public service measures in four quality-of-life areas – economy, education, health, and public safety. The models suggest a strong negative relation between effective tax rates and property values, and a significant positive association between the public service measures and property values. Analyses indicate that property taxes are capitalized into housing prices at greater than 100%, suggesting prior underestimations based on measurement errors in public service variables.

For the past several years, libraries have been evolving. The traditional academic library housed print collections and provided space for studying, usually quiet space. With the advances in technology, libraries have had their own metamorphosis. No longer are they constrained by a physical space – they now have virtual spaces, which include virtual collections.

During this same time, the cost of higher education and textbooks has been on the rise. Universities and the federal government have enacted policies and laws in an effort to combat these rising costs. In support of the students and affordable textbook initiatives, libraries have become partners in helping lower the cost of textbooks for students through either purchasing them electronically or other means, such as course reserves. Indeed, a single library purchase can now provide course materials for an entire class.

This chapter will present an overview of the Affordable Learning Georgia Initiative and how the Georgia Tech Library has updated their collection development policies to support this initiative.

Even though 95% of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), live in low- and middle-income countries, there is a dearth of studies from these countries, including the Republic of Georgia. Several ASD screening tools are available, but few are validated for use in Georgian or other smaller countries. This study aims to adapt and validate the autism spectrum screening questionnaire (ASSQ) for use in Georgia.

The ASSQ was administered for all third-grade students in 402 schools in the five main Georgian cities, n = 27,336. Prior to use, the 27-item ASSQ was translated, back-translated and adapted for use in Georgia. A total of 16,556 students (approximately 61%) were assessed by a parent and/or teacher. Optimal cutoff scores were estimated. Randomly chosen children who screened positive (n = 173) and negative (n = 127) were offered comprehensive assessment using standardized diagnostic procedures.

Data from 15,510 parents- and 13,517 teachers-administered ASSQ revealed statistically significant differences in median and cutoff scores between parents and teachers: 7 versus 4 and 9 versus 6, respectively. Cutoff score = 14, on either parent or teacher ASSQ, had sensitivity of 0.94, indicating that it can be used in school settings.

The Georgian adaptation of the ASSQ creates opportunity for further ASD research, while also providing a valid screening tool for clinicians. Data from Georgia will add to the growing understanding of the broader ASD phenotype.