The language of access: determinants of distributive efficacy in Georgia’s multiethnic Kvemo Kartli region

What determines access to public goods in the multiethnic Georgian region of Kvemo Kartli? This article presents evidence that informal network access and Georgian language capacity are associated with differences in perceived ‘distributive efficacy’, or the ability of residents to make requests for public goods and the confidence that these requests will be fulfilled. Statistical analysis of survey data collected during fieldwork and an innovative ‘list experiment’ indicates that, while informal connections are broadly helpful in locating decision makers who control public resources, ethnic Georgians perceive themselves as more capable of utilizing informal connections to gain access to politicians and administrators than non-ethnic Georgians. Further, among non-ethnic Georgians, those with greater Georgian language capacity are shown to possess higher levels of distributive efficacy, suggesting a need for prioritization of policy development and further allocation of funds to linguistic integration programmes.