Good Governance and institutionalisation of Gender Impact Assessment (GIA) with the focus on a case of Georgia

Gender inequality remains a persistent challenge in contemporary society, almost in all domains of life. Despite the shared commitment among nations to integrate gender mainstreaming approaches into domestic policy frameworks following the 1995 Beijing Conference, the desired progress towards promoting gender-sensitive policies and closing gender inequality has remained unresolved, even after 28 years. Hence, this underscores the strong need to focus on gender mainstreaming tools such as the Gender Impact Assessment (GIA) and foster better implementation of them, in order to close gender gaps and promote gender-sensitive policy approaches on a global scale. The thesis tries to explain how gender mainstreaming tools, especially evaluation tools such as the Gender Impact Assessment (GIA), can play a crucial role in achieving gender equality and improving better governance at national levels. For this purpose, the thesis collects theoretical and empirical knowledge related to Good Governance, Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Impact Assessment (GIA) and delivers a case study coming from the developing country of Georgia. By using the Georgian case, the thesis tries to find an explanation for why Gender Impact Assessment (GIA) matters and how it should be institutionalised, what the crucial benefits of the process are, and how the instrument should close gender inequalities, provide better governance, and achieve better gender sensitivity in public institutions, especially in developing countries.  Focusing on the case of Georgia develops new knowledge and contributes insights for Georgian public policy, due to the fact that it reviews challenges, progress, and opportunities for institutionalisation of Gender Impact Assessment and better Governance at the domestic level. Nevertheless, the thesis attempts to frame the process of institutionalisation of Gender Impact Assessment (GIA) by providing examples coming from European and non-European states and by using empirical evidence remarked by international organisations.