Final Thoughts

As the rest of my class has noted, Macedonia is a beautiful country, full of culture and hospitality, especially from people like Dr. Behxeti and Blake Childs. After a week in the country, the most surprising realization I had was the fact that the states of Macedonia and Northeast PA economies were essentially no different. Emile also noticed this connection when she said “Macedonia and Northeast PA are very close” in her Blog. To be honest, this was not a realization I expected, especially since Macedonia was a post communist society, and Northeast PA was part of the United States free market economy. However, a number of similarities between the two regions make the comparison possible. For example:
· Both regions are transitioning. (Macedonia from a centralized system of communism and Northeast PA from mining and exporting coal)
· Both regions are in a position to transition because of a number of developable and exportable products. In Macedonia, agriculture and competitive labor for both domestic & international business. In Northeast PA, education and technology.
· Both regions are providing benefits to business through tax free zones, tax breaks, and incubators to facilitate this economic transition.
What these examples begin to show are the similarities between countries that many people, including myself, miss today in the United States because of our blindness to other countries and their economies. Frank, while I agree with you, these similarities between our countries (especially from a program stand point) should not have been so surprising. In reality they really were. Possibly it is the physical distance between countries, or the general perception of our economy is so strong that we do not need to look at other economies. Also, American society may lack knowledge or understanding of how an economy develops. Whatever the reason may be, people overlook how similar our country is to other developing countries around the world, and how much can be learned from looking at these other economies.
The last observation I would like to make is the impressive educational facilities and programs Macedonia has in place. Both the State University of Tetevo, and the Private University of Tetevo reminded me of Misericordia University, in terms of appearance, culture, and education. As Eric discussed in his blog, business education is taken seriously in Macedonia. Especially since people from the national government, the city of Tetevo, the city of Skopje, local entrepreneurs, and the USAID, all took time to come and present to our class. This dedication to education in Macedonia is another parallel to Northeast PA and the United States proving our countries are not that different.
In conclusion, my experiences in Macedonia have taught me a number of life & educational lessons. In terms of our class, whether or not economic development can be influenced by public policy promoting entrepreneurship? The answer is yes. The most eye opening part of this answer is the fact it does not matter which part of the world you are in or how developed an economy is, entrepreneurship can spark development (Macedonia) or continue it (the United States). In terms of life lessons, the world is a big place and there is a lot to learn from it. I look forward to exploring it even farther and I especially look forward to returning to Macedonia.
By Billy desRosiers