Vladimer 'Lado' Papava is a Professor of Economics at the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University and an Academician at the Georgian National Academy of Sciences (2013). He served as the President of the Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University from 16 August 2013 to 20 April 2016.

Born on 25 March 1955 in Tbilisi, Georgia, Vladimer Papava graduated from Tbilisi State University with a specialization in Economic Cybernetics in 1978. In 1982, he received his Candidate of Science degree in Economics (PhD) from the Central Economic Mathematical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Moscow, in 1989, his Doctor of Science degree in Economics from Tbilisi State University and in 1990, Leningrad State University.

From 2005 to 2006, Vladimer Papava was a visiting scholar at the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University.

He is the author of over 300 publications, including numerous works on the theoretical and applied studies of post-Communist economies and the economic development of the Central Caucasus countries.

His research efforts are underpinned by practical experience gained during his work for the Georgian Government. From 1994 to 2000, as Minister of Economy, he was actively involved in currency reform, and the liberalization of the economy, including the liberalization of foreign trade, institutional transformations and other enterprising governmental programs. As a member of the Georgian Government and an Alternative Governor of the World Bank, he was one of the main participants in the negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

From 2004 to 2008, he was a member of the Parliament of Georgia, and the Committee for Finance and Budget.

Vladimer Papava is the author of The Semi-Productive Matrix Approach for Input-Output Models, The Theory of the Economic Ability of the Government and Egalitarian Goods, The Model of an ‘Economy Without Taxes’, The Theory of Laffer-Keynesian Synthesis, The Indexes of Tax Corruption, The Method of Measuring of the Catch-Up Effect, The Method of the ‘Social Promotion’ for Post-Communist Transition to a Market Economy, The Doctrine of Market Equality and its Application to the Process of Post-Communist Transformation, Financial Globalization and Post-Communist Georgia: Global Exchange Rate Instability and its Implications for Georgia, Becoming European: Challenges for Georgia in the Twenty-First Century; a co-author of The Theory of the ‘Shadow Political Economy’ together with Nodar Khaduri, and Laffer-Keynesian Synthesis and Macroeconomic Equilibrium (Economic Issues, Problems and Perspectives) together with Iuri Ananiashvili; an editor of The Central Caucasus: Problems of Geopolitical Economy together with Eldar Ismaiolv, and Economic Reforms in Post-Communist Georgia: Twenty Years After (Caucasus Region Political, Economic and Security Issues). Also, Vladimer Papava is the author of the Theory of ‘Necroeconomics’ – The Political Economy of Post-Communist Capitalism and ‘Retroeconomics’ – the Theory of Moving from Dying to Brisk Economy.

Together with Eldar Ismailov, Vladimer Papava elaborated the geopolitical Concept of the Central Caucasus. Also, he is an author of the geopolitical Concept of the Central Caucaso-Asia.

Vladimer Papava is a member of the editorial boards of the Problems of Economic Transition (USA), Journal of Business and Economics (USA), Mega Journal of Business Research (USA), Central Asia and the Caucasus (Sweden), European Journal of Economic Studies (Slovak Republic), Caucasian Review of International Affairs (Germany), Transformations (Poland), Academic Journal BRAMS (Georgia), Economy of Ukraine (Ukraine), Society and Economy (Russia), and Finance: Theory and Practice 2 (Russia).

From 1992 to 2005, he was the Editor-in-Chief of the Proceedings of the Georgian Academy of Sciences – Economic Series.

Since 1997, Vladimer Papava has been a Corresponding Member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences. In 2013, he became an Active Member (Academician). He is an Active Member of the International Academy of Sciences, Education, Industry and Arts (CA, USA), an Active Member of the New York Academy of Sciences (NY, USA), an Active Member of the International Informatization Academy (UN) and other international societies and associations.

From 2008 to 2010, he was the Deputy Chairman of the Scientific Committee for Economics and Law of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences. Since 2010, he has been the Chairman of the Scientific Committee for Economics of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences. In 2007, he became a member of the CASE (Center for Social and Economic Research) Advisory Council (Warsaw, Poland) and a member of the International Scientific Council of the International Institute for Social Development (Moscow, Russia). He is a member of two Tbilisi-based think tanks, the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, and BRAMS Institute.

In 2004, Vladimer Papava, and a group of Georgian economists, were awarded the State Prize of Georgia in Science for the Series of Publications, The Methods and Models of Macroeconomic Regulations. In 2008, Vladimer Papava was awarded the Philippe Gogichaishvili Prize of the National Academy of Sciences of Georgia for his book Necroeconomics: The Political Economy of Post-Communist Capitalism (New York, iUniverse, 2005).