Public Policy, Promotion, and Publicity

As Emilie had noted, there appears to be strong support for entrepreneurship in Macedonia. This was evidensed not only by the number of agencies involved, but the passion of some of the speakers. For example, one of our speakers showed up for class prepared not only with a presentation, but with another speaker he had recruited to provide still more insight. A number of our speakers were not even from Tetovo; they drove from the capital Skopje to meet with us.
In retrospect, the similarities Macedonian programs to those available in Northeastern Pennsylvania should not have been as surprising as it seemed. A few of the NGOs and government agencies operating are modeled after, or even associated with, successful Western economic development programs, such as: Junior Acheivment, and an Angel Investor Network. Even funding, at least a portion of the initial amounts, was provided by US and EU agencies; who see economic development in Macedonia as important for the future of the Balkans.
The most obvious difference between the two reagions was the level of establishment of the programs. Many of the US programs have simply been around a lot longer; many in existance well before Macedonia's fairly recent emergence as an independent country. For example, in Tetovo, we visited a business incubator that was about to open; they were still finishing the rooms. This compares to a number of operating incubators in the Wilkes-Barre area.
The most striking similarity was the need for publicity. A few of the speakers in Macedonia had asked our fellow classmates whether they were even aware that such programs esisted. Usually they were not. When asked about public policy towards Entrepreneurship, our contact at the Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce said the biggest need was awareness. There are useful programs available to entrepreneursin both areas, but not everyone knows they even exist.
I would also like to echo the appreciation already expressed by my classmates for the hospitality shown to us in Macedonia; especially the State University of Tetovo and Dr. Behxeti. Also worthy of mention are Blake, who helped logistically in Tetovo; Alexander, who helped with arrival, departure, and a glimpse of the capital; the many speakers who took time out of their schedules to meet with us; and even our other classmates (those regularly attending the Univesity), who were flexible enough to rearranged their schedules to accommodate our limited time in country.

by Frank Yamrick