GILS is accountable to the public, not to any funder, government, or institutional patron — and this page explains exactly how that accountability works.
GILS operates under a governance framework designed to protect its independence, ensure research quality, and maintain accountability to the public — not to any funder, government, or institutional patron.
As an initiative of the Public Health Institute of Georgia (PHIG), GILS inherits PHIG's non-commercial, non-partisan legal status under Georgian law. All GILS research outputs are subject to internal peer review before publication. No output is suppressed, modified, or delayed at the request of any external party.
Responsible for GILS's strategic direction, research agenda, and institutional positioning. Prof. Pkhakadze brings 25+ years of experience across WHO, ILO, UN agencies, and academic institutions to the role. He holds no government position and receives no state salary in connection with GILS.
PHIG — founded 2011, legally constituted as a non-commercial entity under Georgian law — is the institutional home and legal framework within which GILS operates. PHIG's Chair is Prof. Pkhakadze. PHIG provides administrative, legal, and infrastructure support to GILS.
GILS maintains an affiliated network of independent researchers drawn from CELSI (Central European Labour Studies Institute), IZA (Institute of Labor Economics), and Georgian academic institutions. Fellows review methodology, challenge findings, and contribute to working papers and index construction.
Academic outputs connected to GILS's occupational health and safety knowledge hub are subject to GMJ's standard peer review process — double-blind, independent of GILS's institutional interests. GMJ is Georgia's leading open-access medical journal (ISSN 3088-4322).
| Decision Type | Who Decides | Safeguard |
|---|---|---|
| Research agenda & topics | GILS Director, in consultation with Research Fellows | No external party may commission or suppress a research topic |
| Data methodology | Research team, documented in published methodology notes | All methodology publicly available for independent audit |
| Publication decisions | GILS Director; academic outputs via GMJ peer review | No output withheld at request of funder or partner |
| Funding acceptance | GILS Director with PHIG oversight | No funding accepted from entities whose conduct GILS monitors |
| Corrections & retractions | GILS Director; public notice required | All corrections documented publicly on this website |
| Partnership agreements | PHIG Board | No partnership may restrict GILS's analytical independence |
GILS operates in the public domain. Our accountability is to the users of our research — policymakers, researchers, trade unions, employers, journalists, and citizens — not to any private patron. Accountability is enforced through transparency, not through a board of directors or a shareholder structure.
Our independence and funding disclosures are published in full.