Professor Richard MacDonald: "The participants in the master class Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship. Best Practices. are knowledgeable people who appear to have goals in front of them."
Prof. Richard MacDonald is a PhD in Economics from the University of Binghamton, professor of economics at St. Cloud State University, Minnesota and Member of the Council on Economic Education. He has also participated in a working group to develop common state standards for social sciences at the Board of Inspectors in the Public Schools and the Commission for Social Studies at the National Council for Professional Standards for Teaching. Member of the National Commission for Assessment of Progress in Education in Economics.
Interview conducted by Kaloyan Kalev - second year student, majoring in Law at VFU "Chernorizets Hrabar" "
Professor MacDonald, what are your impressions of the participants in the master class Business Leadership and Entrepreneurship. Best practices?
Wonderful! I dare say that these are some very knowledgeable people who appear to have goals in front of them. There are students and businessmen among them who have sufficient skills to pursue a successful career in the public sector. I think these are the future entrepreneurs, managers and leaders!
The topic you are presenting to the audience is associated with the entrepreneurship in the public sector. In recent years the concept of a public-private partnership has become synonymous with corruption in this country. In your opinion, is there a place for the entrepreneurship in the public sector? Yes, I think so. But if we consider the situation through the prism of your problem with corruption, such an undertaking would be quite difficult. For this reason we need stronger measures to tackle this problem in order to make way for the entrepreneurship in a broader plan. This, in turn, would enormously help the economic development of Bulgaria.
There is an internship program for young people in public administration in Bulgaria.Do you think that this can be a successful start for a future entrepreneur?
Yes, definitely. Such an internship program would be of great benefit to students who want to pursue a career in this sector. Generally, internships are a very good thing for students.
Would it be possible to implement the best practices of certain economic conditions in some other conditions?
Yes, but it depends on what you mean. This can only happen in certain circumstances, I mean when we talk about economies that are related to each other. For example, it would be quite difficult some of the economic mechanisms from the United States to be applied here, in Bulgaria because the differences in the economic situation are quite big. We have to search for different ways to exchange ideas suitable for the Bulgarian conditionsrather than copy one best practice or another
On behalf of my colleagues, I would like to thank you for sharing your experience. Can you tell when you are coming back to Varna Free University?
Its my pleasure. As far as my next visit is concerned, I cannot say exactly when, but I hope in mid-June to be here again.