The objective of this article is to qualitatively assess the scope of diaspora contribution to the economic development of North Macedonia. The author’s key argument is that diaspora presents an indispensable source of opportunities for helping the development of the country. The author collected qualitative data and used existing quantitative data, and set them in an exploratory framework. Findings suggest that diaspora works positively for the economic and, broadly societal development of North Macedonia. The contribution of the various forms of diaspora engagement has been assessed as positive. The more systematic evidence existing on the role of remittances in development supports their poverty-alleviation role, as well their acting as informal social protection for the receiving households. However, findings suggest that the potential for diaspora engagement in North Macedonia’s development remains significantly underutilized, particularly in terms of diaspora investment. The insufficiently systematic approach in dealing with the issue, government inefficiency and the perception of political uncertainty and the (deficiency in) rule of law are identified key stumbling blocks.

本文的目的是定性评估侨民对北马其顿经济发展的贡献范围。作者的主要论点是，散居国外的人提供了帮助国家发展的必不可少的机会。作者收集了定性数据并使用了现有的定量数据，并将其设置在探索框架中。研究结果表明，散居人口对北马其顿的经济乃至整个社会的发展都具有积极作用。各种形式的侨民参与的贡献被认为是积极的。关于汇款在发展中的作用的现有的更系统的证据支持其减轻贫困的作用，以及它们作为接受家庭的非正式社会保护。然而，研究结果表明，散居者参与北马其顿发展的潜力仍未得到充分利用，特别是在散居者投资方面。确定的主要绊脚石是处理问题，政府效率低下，对政治不确定性和法治（缺陷）的认识不够系统的方法。