Waiting for Direction in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM)
研究了前南斯拉夫马其顿共和国在解除经济封锁后，创业活动反而减少的现象，发现合法创业技能主要来自海外务工者，而多数人仍在等待指令，建议推广海外务工项目。
During an embargo against the newly independent state of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), some entrepreneurs made fortunes by smuggling, while other individuals went abroad, where they acquired entrepreneurial skills pertinent to legitimate business. Although it was expected that the termination of the embargo would contribute to the small business sector, findings of this ethnographic study suggest that entrepreneurial efforts actually appear less visible, as legitimate entrepreneurial skills are largely limited to those who sojourned abroad. Entrepreneurs who prospered by smuggling during the blockade are waiting for new opportunities; most others are still waiting for directives, and entrepreneurial initiatives are few. Nostalgia reigns here, in the poorest country among the constituents of the former Yugoslav federation. This article offers an overview of the environment for small business in FYROM and recommends a possible solution - formal work abroad/sojourn programs - along with suggestions for future research. What is in a name? According to Shakespeare, that which is called a rose would by any other name smell as sweet, but he had not considered the case of Macedonia. The collapse of the Yugoslav federation resulted in the independence of several of its constituents, among these one which called itself Macedonia. Given that this same name also corresponds to an area of Greece, the Greeks protested by implementing an embargo against the new country. Table 1 Ethnic Composition of FYROM (1997 estimates) Ethnicity Religion Percentage Macedonian Christian 65 Albanian Moslem 22 Turkish Moslem 4 Romahie Gypsy 3 Serb Christian 2 Other Jewish, etc. 4 The embargo was finally lifted when Macedonia agreed to change its name to FYROM - the acronym for the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This change of name legalized international trade, thereby increasing opportunities for entrepreneurship, at least in theory. In reality, people in FYROM are generally waiting for direction. In this republic with more sheep (2.5 million) than people (2 million), nobody is sure whom to follow. Those who exhibit entrepreneurial behavior are usually Macedonians who have worked abroad. This article will suggest that much can be learned from sojourning abroad, and that such activity should be encouraged. The literature on the sojourning of foreign workers is reviewed in Cherry (1990), Dana (1997), Light and Bonacich (1988), and Posadas and Guyotte (1990). Methodology With the methodological mandate to be inductive, naturalistic, and sensitive to context, the researcher took temporary residence in the country under study with the United Nations military forces there, making it possible to observe and record interactions, as well as to conduct extensive open-ended interviews. Given the heterogeneity of the nation (see Table 1), it was important to interview key individuals from different factions. Ethnographic methods were combined, and triangulation was used for verification. The United Nations forces were found to be the most helpful. For instance, near Kumanovo, personnel at the United Nations Preventive Deployment Force Post U-52 kept track of the number of donkeys carrying smuggled goods between FYROM and Serbia. Also helpful were the unpublished sources at the European Bank for Reconstruction (set up by the World Bank). Historical Note As a result of the Balkan Wars, Macedonia was partitioned into three sections. Aegean Macedonia was assigned to be governed by Greece, Pirin Macedonia by Bulgaria, and Vardar Macedonia joined the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes. This kingdom adopted the name Yugoslavia in 1929. …