Staff Spotlight – Malhaz Jibladze

Since 2011, Malhaz Jibladze has worked as a mentor teacher and online instructor for the Foundation for Teaching Economics. He also teaches AP Macroeconomics, AP Microeconomics, and AP US Government at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Virginia, while concurrently pursuing a Ph.D. in Economics at George Mason University. Malhaz was born and raised in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic and personally experienced the perverse incentives at the heart of the Soviet Union’s economic collapse.

His favorite part about teaching at the Economics for Leaders summer program is working with students. Malhaz has found that the students attending these EFL programs are highly motivated to learn about economics and leadership and it is a pleasure to teach students with such a strong personal interest in the subject, “having an engaged audience makes this a highly satisfying and memorable experience for a teacher.”

His favorite lesson to teach is the trade simulation game called Magic of Markets. Malhaz says that it may seem like a simple activity but students walk away understanding some enormously important concepts, such as, “the emergence of spontaneous order and interdependence through trade.  This activity very clearly demonstrates the importance of trade for both individual and societal advancement.”

Finally, Malhaz believes it is important for young individuals to understand economics in order to make informed decisions.

“The issues that we face as a society are often very complex, yet the solutions that are articulated by societal leaders are often too simplistic and misleading.”

Economic literacy helps to combat misinformation. Malhaz says, “It is crucial that individuals have the tools to analyze and understand complex problems as well as the possible consequences of proposed solutions and economics is exactly the field that provides these valuable tools. These analytical abilities are also important to becoming a strong leader who can find real solutions in the long term.”

This summer Malhaz can be found enhancing economic literacy at Yale University.