Albania in the Twilight Zone: The Perseritje Model and Its Impact on Small Business
1996; Wiley; Volume: 34; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
0047-2778
Autores Tópico(s)Post-Communist Economic and Political Transition
ResumoApproaching the Albanian port of Durres, on the Adriatic Sea one sees a series of semi-sunken vessels; disembarking from a ship, one is greeted by maimed beggars. So too is the economy of Albania maimed and semi-sunken. Albania is the poorest country in Europe, and in 1994 the country had a food shortage; yet the Bretton Woods institutions consider Albania to be among the most successful of the transforming countries of Eastern Europe. This article reports on the small business sector and on the environment for entrepreneurship in this country which was recently ranked by the European Union as highest among post-communist nations in overall satisfaction with economic reforms. Written on location in Albania, this article is based on empirical data arising from ethnographic research involving in-depth interviews with a cross-section of Albanians. As few people speak English in Albania, the author conducted most of the interviews in Italian. Crossing into Albania by road is like going back to another time. At Qaf-Thane, a border-crossing point between Macedonia and Albania, the author counted 55 trucks waiting in line to enter Albania - and their rate of entry was painstakingly slow. Once in Albania, drivers are cheered by children who chase after the vehicles, expecting cigarettes and chewing gum. The winding roads are quite dramatic, and relatively devoid of motor vehicles. Along the highways, one inevitably encounters horse-drawn carts transporting hay, shepherds and herdsmen with their animals, as well as soldiers standing in the back of antique Chinese army trucks. There are countless roadblocks, some officially marked as national roadblocks. Officers on duty appear very confident until a superior drives by and all stop to salute. Historical Background In Roman times, Albania was part of the provinces of Epirus and Illyria. The country eventually fell under Ottoman rule and was under Moslem influence for several centuries. In 1912, Albania was declared independent. However, in 1939 Benito Mussolini seized control of it. After World War II, Albania became a totalitarian communist people's republic. It was under Soviet domination until dictator Enver Hoxha aligned Albania with China. Hoxha was perhaps the most eccentric dictator of Eastern Europe. He banned bananas, beards, bright colors, foreign journalists, most imports, and religion. Hoxha denounced the communist parties of Yugoslavia (in 1948), of the U.S.S.R. (in 1961), and even of his of Chinese allies (in 1978). Paranoid of invasion, he built concrete bunkers across the country. After the death of Hoxha in 1985, Ramiz Alia became president and slowly introduced perseritje, the Albanian version of perestroika. Alia proposed more scope for small business and introduced some liberal reforms, including a multiparty political system. Ironic as it may seem, he was swept from power during Albania's first post-communist elections in 1992, when Sali Berisha succeeded him. Although in 1992 urban unemployment had reached about 50 percent, by 1994 the unemployment rate was falling and inflation had been reduced to 30 percent annually. Overall output was growing more than 10 percent a year, and pages from Hoxha's books were being used to package roasted almonds or sausages. In recognition of progress, in 1994 the International Monetary Fund approved a further extension of its relationship with Albania. Economic Conditions in Albania Modern Albania is a country of 3.2 million people. The currency is the lek. Until recently, there were no bananas in Albania, nor Coca-Cola nor Seven-Up. Imports were few, other than military vehicles from China. An immense privatization campaign has, however, produced some economic progress. In 1987, there were all of forty cars in Albania, and up into 1993, the main boulevard of the capital city, Tirana, looked like a country lane. But by 1994, there were hundreds of cars in Albania, including many Mercedes. …
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