C:\Documents and Settings\jimh\My Documents\_08-25\08-23 USAID Macedonia\SO2.1Close Out Report 
(May 2005).doc
USAID/MACEDONIA
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE CLOSE OUT REPORT
SO Name: Increased, Better-Informed Citizen Participation in Political, Economic, and Social 
Decision-Making
SO Number: 165021
Approval Date: 1996 (?)1
Geographic Area: Macedonia
Total Cost: 
USAID: 
Mission Funding $24,427,891.00
Global Support 
Total USAID Funding $24,427,891.00 (FY 1992 – FY 2001)2
Principle Implementing Partners:
American Bar Association/Central Europe and Eurasia Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI)
American Center for International Labor Solidarity (ACILS)
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)
Delphi/STAR
Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI)
Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC)
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)
International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES)
International Republican Institute (IRI)
International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX)
KPMG/Barents Group
Louis Berger Group, Incorporated (LBG)
National Democratic Institute (NDI)
Search for Common Ground (SCG)
Background
The informed participation of the Macedonian citizenry in the political and economic life of the 
nation is essential to assure a stable and productive transition to an open democracy and a vibrant 
market economy. Democracy can only function effectively when citizens participate actively in 
its institutions and processes. 
USAID assistance under Strategic Objective (SO) 2.1 was geared toward the creation of a 
vibrant civil society and toward helping citizens to better understand their rights and 
responsibilities in a democracy. At the same time, this SO helped created opportunities for 
citizens to exercise their new skills, by fostering the development of democratic political 
institutions that allow and encourage citizen participation and by educating their leaders about 
the benefits to be gained from including citizens in the decision-making process. The assistance 
sought to deepen the general understanding and appreciation of democracy, foster pluralism and 
 
1
 We are not able to ascertain the actual Approval Date for this SO from the files we have.
2
 Although the Agency did not begin to use Strategic Objectives (SOs) until FY 1996, a decision was made by the 
Agency to retroactively assign previously funded activities, i.e. activities funded prior to FY 1996, to SOs.
respect for diversity, and promote broad-based participation in community problem solving and 
decision-making. SO 2.1 also focused on strengthening key institutions that would potentially 
function to check the power of the executive branch and political parties, i.e., civil society 
organizations, parliament and the judiciary.
USAID Macedonia’s SO 2.0 was terminated in 2001 with the adoption of USAID Macedonia’s 
Amended Strategic Plan for FY 2001- 2004 (later extended through 2006). SO 2.1 continued as 
an Intermediate Result (IR) under the new SO 2.0 “More Legitimate Democratic Institutions.” 
All of the activities that were still being implemented under SO 2.1 at the time of the shift to the 
Amended Strategy, and that were determined to still be relevant for achieving the assistance 
goals set in the Amended Strategy, continued to operate under the new SO 2.0. Activities that 
continued under the new Strategy are noted in the Summary of Activities below.
The reason for the termination of SO 2.1 and the incorporation of this into the new SO 2.0 as an 
IR was to help the Mission to focus and integrate all aspects of its democracy and governance 
program into one Strategic Framework. This consolidation covered the former SO 2.1 (which re￾appeared as IR 2.1 and IR 2.4), the former SO 2.3 (which reappears as IR 2.3), and the planned 
SO 2.2 (which appears as IR 2.2). 
Summary of Overall Impact at the SO Level and IR Level
SO 2.1: Increased, Better-Informed Citizen Participation in Political, Economic, and Social 
Decision-Making
The impact of activities under this SO is reflected in:
ÿ A slight improvement in Macedonia’s Freedom House Nations in Transit 
Democratization Rating from 3.90 in 1997 to 3.75 in 2001 (on a scale of one to seven 
with one representing the highest and seven the lowest level of democratic progress).
IR 2.1.1: Strengthened Civil Society Organizations are Effective Vehicles for Citizen 
Participation
ÿ An improvement in Macedonia’s NGO Sustainability Index rating from 4.4 in 1997 to 
4.1 in 2001 (on a scale of one to seven with one representing the highest and seven the 
lowest level of sustainability). 
ÿ Introduced models for multi-stakeholder collaboration that are replicated in various local 
communities, and adopted a range of participatory planning processes and community 
improvement projects.
ÿ Improved cross-sectoral cooperation between CSOs and national and local government as 
evidenced by the inclusion of CSO representatives on government task forces, working 
groups and multi-disciplinary teams.
ÿ Empowered CSOs and citizen groups to address problems within society and their 
communities as well as among disadvantaged, marginalized and at-risk groups.
IR 2.1.2: Strengthened Political and Parliamentary Systems
ÿ In January 1997, following local elections, began a program designed to strengthen the 
capacity of political parties to organize effectively in election and non-election periods at 
the local and national levels.
ÿ In September 1999, started a parliamentary internship program to help support the work 
of the Parliament. In 2005, the intern program was successfully transferred to the 
Parliament, which assumed full management responsibility for it.
ÿ NDI provided support to the Parliament with the goal of increasing the Parliament’s 
capacity to serve as an independent, representative, democratic institution. Activities 
focused on addressing the inadequate staffing, poor research capabilities, lack of 
computerization, minimal control over its budget, weak Rules of Procedure, conflict of 
interest, and poor communication between Members of Parliament (MPs) and their 
constituent. 
IR 2.1.3: Citizens are Better Informed about their Rights and Obligations
ÿ Introduced and implemented civic education curricula in all 344 main elementary and 
satellite schools and 54 kindergartens.
ÿ Trained 11,196 teachers and 800 school administrators to deliver civic education.
ÿ Published 284,770 student textbooks, and 14,670 teacher manuals in three local 
languages, and worked with parents to promote civic education.
IR 2.1.4: Effective, Sustainable Intermediate Service Organizations are in Place
ÿ Together with the Danish School of Journalism, co-founded the Macedonian Institute for 
the Media (MIM) that offers comprehensive training for working journalists.
ÿ Supported the establishment and institutional development of the Macedonian Judges’ 
Association (MJA) to provide a collective voice for the country’s judges. 
ÿ Helped the Macedonian Judges Association establish and successfully launch the Center 
for Continuing Education (CCE), which provides training to judges throughout 
Macedonia. 
ÿ Helped establish the Macedonian Legal Resource Center (MLRC) to increase the 
availability of legislation, judicial decisions, and other legal resources available to the 
legal and business community and the general public. The MLRC has a computer 
database of over 200 laws, plus Supreme and Constitutional Court decisions, and 
information about local lawyers and international jurisprudence resources. 
Significant Changes in the Results Framework During the Life of the SO
We were not able to determine the actual approval date for this SO from the files available to us. 
It seems it was approved in FY 1996. 
Substantial revisions in the Results Framework were made in 1998 to respond to concerns raised 
by USAID Washington on this SO during its review of the 1997 R4. The reasons for the 
changes to the Results Framework were (1) to allow the Mission to report more clearly on its 
support for civic education and media freedom; (2) to highlight its increased emphasis on 
building intermediate support organizations as a means for continuing program initiatives after 
USAID Macedonia’s planned FY 2004 closure; (3) to more explicitly recognize the need to put 
NGOs on a more secure financial footing, by ensuring they have more democratic and 
professional management and the means to work together to form national level advocacy groups 
with shared interests; (4) to build stronger casual links between the interventions in the political 
process area, and to more carefully delineate the functions of parties, i.e., party role in elections, 
party role in parliament and internal party organization, in the results we were trying to achieve; 
and (5) to close efforts under SO 2.1 in the area of public administration and local governance
paving the way for a new SO 2.3 which would focus more directly on local government reform. 
The Intermediate Results were modified to: (1) Strengthened Civil Society Organizations are 
Effective Vehicles for Citizen Participation; (2) Strengthened Political and Parliamentary 
Systems; (3) Citizens are Better Informed about Rights and Obligations; and (4) Effective, 
Sustainable Intermediate Service Organizations are in Place. 
Summary of Activities Used to Achieve the SO and their Major Outputs
American Bar Association/Central and East European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI): The 
goal of this activity was to promote the development of the rule of law by developing an 
independent, efficient, well-trained and respected judiciary; creating a skilled and knowledgeable 
legal profession through workshops that will be held with different associations throughout the 
year to address the professional development needs of their members; and drafting and technical 
assistance for the development and effective implementation of a framework of commercial laws 
that promote free market values and economic development. This activity continued under the 
new SO 2.0 once SO 2.1 closed out.
Accomplishments:
· Helped the Macedonian Bar Association (MBA) establish a Continuing Legal Education 
Committee and provided funding to initiate the publication of a quarterly law journal.
· Worked with the Skopje branch of the European Law Student’s Association (ELSA) to 
produce a series of six educational pamphlets, in three languages, for citizens explaining 
various areas of the law in laymen’s terms. ELSA has used these pamphlets as the basis 
for a program to educate students about the law and the legal system.
· Provided expertise and financial support to the University of Cyril and Methodius Law 
Faculty to introduce clinical legal education into the curriculum in order to support the 
development of practical skills training for future lawyers. 
· Assisted the Association for Emancipation, Solidarity, and Equality of Women (ESE) in 
developing draft legislation addressing the problem of domestic violence that would 
bring Macedonian law into conformity with international human rights standards. This 
draft legislation was adopted in 2003. 
American Center for International Labor Solidarity (ACILS)/Labor Union Program: The 
goal of the Labor Union Program was to strengthen the ability of labor unions to function 
democratically and to represent their membership in the social, economic and political 
development of Macedonia. The Program was to assist the 250,000-member Federation of 
Labor Unions of Macedonia (SSM) to participate effectively in the development of a democratic 
civil society and meet the challenges and opportunities of working in a market economy. 
The ACILS program began in August 2001, but because an ordered departure was in effect at 
that time they established their office in Belgrade until the ordered departure was lifted in 
October 2001. It continued its work with the trade unions under SO 2.0 once SO 2.1 closed.
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)/Civic Education Program: The goal of the Civic Education 
Program was to help students acquire the skills to participate in civil society through the 
introduction of civic education into Macedonian primary schools. The Program helped with the 
development of the curriculum, conducted teacher trainings and worked with the Ministry of 
Education’s Civic Education Working Group and the Bureau of Educational Development 
(BED) to implement and sustain a “Macedonian” Civic Education in the school curricula. The 
Program also facilitated the involvement parents in the introduction of civic education into their 
children’s lives by supporting the development of Parent Councils (PC) in the schools to increase 
their ability to participate in education decision-making. This activity continued under the new 
SO 2.0 once SO 2.1 closed out.
Accomplishments:
· Institutionalized a full civic education program for kindergarten and primary students. 
· Civic education is now one of the 3 subjects in Macedonian primary schools, including 
mother-tongue and mathematics, which have written standards. 
· Institutionalized the process of civic education as part of university education for 
teachers. 
 
Delphi/STAR Network: This was part of a regional program to develop women leaders and 
create a network of women’s non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the former Yugoslav 
Republics. 
Accomplishments:
· Developed a network of women’s organizations in Macedonia with strong ties to 
organizations in neighboring countries.
· Trained 45 women trainers to train other women on advocacy and how to implement 
grass roots campaigns.
· NGO partners carried out projects to address issues such as violence in the home, 
women’s health, improving schooling for children, single mother issues, etc. 
· Succeeded at the community level in bringing together women’s groups representing 
different ethnic and religious backgrounds to resolve common problems. 
Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC)/Democracy Network Program: The Program 
advanced civil society development by strengthening the ability of civil society organizations 
(CSO) to address key social problems in Macedonian communities. The primary goal of the 
program was to develop and strengthen a broad range of indigenous public policy oriented NGOs 
in four priority sectors: (1) democracy, (2) social safety nets, (3) economic growth, and (4) 
environment. This activity continued under the new SO 2.0 once SO 2.1 closed out.
Accomplishments:
· The program supported 280 CSOs through training, technical assistance, grants, and 
networking activities. 
· The program conducted ninety-five training and networking events and awarded over $2 
million in more than 300 grants reaching thousands of direct beneficiaries and tens of 
thousands of indirect beneficiaries. 
International Center for Not-For Profit Law (ICNL)/NGO Legal Reform Program: The
Program provided technical assistance, training, and research and drafting to develop the NGO 
legal framework and build indigenous capacity to implement NGO laws and to undertake future 
legislative reform efforts. This activity continued under the new SO 2.0 once SO 2.1 closed out.
Accomplishments:
· Helped draft the progressive Law on Citizens Associations and Foundations passed in 
1998.
· Prepared Draft Amendments to the Law on Citizens Associations and Foundations 
including the introduction of “public benefit” status.
· Prepared draft amendments governing NGO tax exemptions and incentives for corporate
philanthropy.
· Co-authored the first NGO law textbook that is incorporated into the standard university 
curriculum.
· Over 400 lawyers, judges, and law students introduced to the NGO law. 
· NGO and accompanying legal issues are now taught in secondary school, the law school, 
and at the post-graduate level.
The International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES)/Election Reform Project: The 
overall goal of this program was to support the conduct of free and credible elections by reducing 
technical irregularities at the polling stations and increasing public confidence in the electoral 
process. There were three main tasks: (1) to enhance the efficacy of election administration 
personnel; (2) to encourage the growth of more informed citizenry; and (3) to increase confidence in 
the election process through training, advising, and education. This activity continued under the 
new SO 2.0 once SO 2.1 closed out.
Accomplishments:
· In support of the Fall 2000 elections IFES sponsored a voter education campaign in 
cooperation with the State Election Commission; prepared and distributed a “Guide for 
Electoral Voting Procedure” for polling station workers; and post-elections, sponsored a 
seminar for domestic and international participants to examine in detail the major issues 
that had arisen during the elections and to create support for electoral reform in advance 
of the parliamentary elections.
· In February 2001, the Ministry of Justice established a working group to examine the 
existing legislative framework for elections and propose changes as necessary. 
Throughout 2001 IFES provided assistance to this working group by commenting on 
draft legislation and conducting analysis and research on various issues, such as voters 
list, electoral systems, etc. 
International Republican Institute (IRI)/Political Party Development: The overall goal of the 
program was to support the development of more genuine and competitive processes through the 
development of competitive, democratic and representative political institutions in Macedonia 
capable of serving as channels of collective societal interests and preferences. There were three 
main tasks: (1) governance assistance – to increase the openness and transparency of government 
institutions by developing and regularizing government bodies’ mechanisms for communicating 
with the public; (2) political party development – to increase democracy within the respective 
political parties and to encourage their development as institutions truly representative of broad￾based national constituencies; and (3) youth outreach – to strengthen youth political 
organizations in Macedonia as a model for issue-based organization and advocacy.
IRI’s program began in June 2001, so had limited time on the ground before SO 2.1 came to end 
especially as there was an ordered departure in effect from July through October 2001. IRI 
continued its work under SO 2.0 once SO 2.1 came to an end.
Accomplishments: 
· At the request of President Trajkovski, IRI provided an advisor to the Office of the 
President to develop a communication program to present the Framework Agreement 
to the Macedonian public.
· IRI also conducted in August (with special permission from the Embassy to be in 
country) an opinion poll to measure the Macedonian public’s basic understanding of 
and attitudes toward the agreement. The findings were to political party leaders, 
government officials, and the international negotiation team. 
· Between November 20 – 27th, 2001, IRI conducted a national opinion poll about the 
economic situation, quality of life, crisis, Framework Agreement, country’s stability, 
political parties’ rating, media objectiveness etc. The results from the poll were 
presented to all political parties.
International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX)/Professional Media Program: The goal 
of the Program was to help the media provide the citizens of Macedonia with accurate, objective,
and in-depth information. The Program provided training programs to enhance the 
professionalism of journalism and the media in general; assistance to develop effective media 
associations to represent the professional interests of the media sector; assistance to strengthen 
the media market and the managerial skills of the media to allow it to be more financially 
independent; and assistance to develop a legal and regulatory environment that supports an 
independent media. This activity continued under the new SO 2.0 once SO 2.1 closed out.
Accomplishments:
· Launched MIM’s One Year Journalism Diploma Course which aims to improve the 
professionalism of the media by introducing the first modern and practical journalism 
program in the country. 
· Through the Association of Journalists of Macedonia (AJM), introduced a new code of 
journalistic ethics.
· In partnership with the Stability Pact and other donors prepared a new draft of the 
Broadcast Law.
· Organized the first ever Trade Fair for the Broadcast Media in Macedonia.
· Established a tri-lingual news internet site “Pressonline” that provides news and 
information in Macedonian, Albanian and English.
KPMG Barents Group/Institute for Public Administration and Development Alternatives 
Incorporated (DAI): These projects, in essence, assisted the Government of Macedonia (GOM), 
the former at the central and the latter at the local level, to become more transparent, open to 
public debate, impartial in hiring and promotion, and democratic in following procedures. They 
had sporadic results but, in the end, limited success. For USAID the most significant lesson 
learned from this experience was that design flaws precluded the two partners from working 
effectively together on governance issues and impacted DAI's ability, in particular, to contend 
with local governance issues which required central government involvement and approval. 
Planned follow-on activities will involve work at both central and local government levels to 
improve the efficiency and performance of local government units.
Louis Berger Group, Incorporated/Community Self-Help Initiative (CSHI): The overall 
objective of the activity was to foster self-determination at the community level by assisting 
communities to plan and implement projects that promote democracy and ethnic harmony, and 
provide sustainable benefits to their inhabitants. This activity continued under the new SO 2.0 
once SO 2.1 closed out.
Accomplishments:
· 310 community projects implemented in 107 municipalities. These projects concentrate 
on improvements in quality of life, small infrastructure, income generation and fostering 
economic development for over 1,183,535 direct beneficiaries (or 58.5% of the 
Macedonian population) among the various ethnic groups all over Macedonia. 
· Partner communities know how to use open and collaborative planning approaches to 
prioritize and resolve community needs.
· Ethnic minorities within communities are well-integrated into self help committees and 
working jointly to solve community problems.
· Partner communities are able to prepare community services or small infrastructure 
projects, manage or implement the ensuing work, and maintain the service or facility.
· Communities are encouraging employment and local economic growth through labor 
intensive service and infrastructure projects.
· Local contractors, preferably Small and Micro Enterprises (SMEs), are benefiting from 
contracts generated through CSHI funding.
National Democratic Institute (NDI)/Parliamentary Assistance and Political Party 
Development: The overall goal of the Program was to assist parliament and political parties in 
becoming more accountable and effective institutions, so that they are better able to represent the 
interests of citizens in the decision making process. This activity continued under the new SO 
2.0 once SO 2.1 closed out.
Accomplishments: 
· In 1996, as Macedonia prepared for its first municipal election, NDI provided assistance 
to local civic organizations to organize election-related activities including candidate 
forums, community surveys and nonpartisan election monitoring. NDI also provided 
commentary on the 1996 draft local election law and hosted a roundtable to discuss the 
law and open up the process to political parties and citizen’s groups.
· In advance of Macedonia’s 1998 parliamentary elections, NDI organized a coalition of 
Macedonian NGOs to carry out a voter education program designed to encourage voter 
turnout and educate citizens on specific election-related issues. 
· In February 1999, NDI launched a program designed to promote the development of 
effective party caucuses and strengthen the relationship of the caucus to the party in a 
way that promotes party cohesion and integrity in the legislature. 
· In support of the 2000 local elections, NDI provided (1) assistance to local NGOs to 
organize and carry out a non-partisan domestic election monitoring effort in order to 
increase civic oversight of the election process; (2) consultations and trainings to local 
NGOs to allow them to carry-out non-partisan election activities, such as voter education 
initiatives, candidate forums, and issue campaigns in order to increase civic participation 
in these elections; and (3) training for political party poll-watchers in order to increase the 
ability of parties to play their role in ensuring that elections are administered in 
accordance with the law.
Search for Common Ground (SCG)/”Nashe Maalo” (Our Neighborhood) Children’s 
Educational and Multi-Cultural Television Series: The Children’s Television Network (CTN) 
and Search for Common Ground (SCG) joined forces to develop the “Nashe Maalo” television 
series for Macedonian children between eight and twelve years of age. The goal of the Program 
was to (1) strengthen the culture of peace and ethnic cooperation among future generations of 
Macedonian citizens by producing a culturally appropriate new children’s television series, with 
accompanying curriculum, to promote multi-ethnic understanding, collaborative problem 
solving, and non-violent resolution of disputes, especially between different ethnic groups; (2) 
teach active tolerance and intercultural literacy to Macedonian children from all ethnic 
backgrounds in order for them to be able to understand and value their differences, identify 
shared interests and, based on these interests, learn to participate in Macedonia’s pluralistic civil 
society more positively and proactively; and (3) promote sustainability through skills training 
and capacity building for in-country media and educational partners. This activity continued 
under the new SO 2.0 once SO 2.1 closed out.
Accomplishments:
· A total of 40 “Nashe Maalo” episodes were produced over five years, all sub-titled in 
Macedonian, Albanian and English.
· The “Nashe Maalo” series has been continuously aired on both Macedonian and Albanian 
language stations throughout the country. 
· To expand and deepen the impact of the TV program’s goals, a number of outreach 
projects accompanied the series such as a parent/teacher guide, a “Nashe Maalo” 
magazine and website, a knowledge-based contest, and a music CD (cassette).
· The “Nashe Maalo” website, magazine and the parent-teacher guide are produced in 
Macedonian, Albanian and Turkish languages. 
· “Nashe Maalo” won the “Zlatna Buba Mara” (Golden Ladybird) Award for best 
children’s television in Macedonia in 2000.
· A local independent production company was established as a result of the on-the-job 
training and support to crew and staff of “Nashe Maalo”.
Prospects for Long-Term Sustainability of Impact and Principal Threats to Sustainability
Prospects for long-term sustainability of impact are good despite the limited progress that had 
been made under the SO at the time of its close out. Many of the activities continued under the 
new, consolidated SO 2.0. At the time of the close out of S0 2.1, five of the activities intended to 
support attainment of this SO were less than one year old and had not had time to gain the 
momentum they subsequently obtained nor to demonstrate their full impact.
Despite some fluctuations within democracy indicators during the life of this SO, mainly 
connected to factors such as the 1999 Kosovo crisis and the 2001 conflict in the country, some 
significant impacts were achieved prior to the close out of SO 2.1. Activities centered on the 
electoral system, political party development, and adherence to the rule of law helped strengthen 
the system of checks and balances. Efforts aimed at strengthening the capacity of local civil 
society organizations, including trade unions, resulted in their increased capacity to participate in 
a dialogue with the Government about policies and priorities and ability to take an active role in 
improving the lives of Macedonian citizens. USAID helped develop a legal framework to 
simplify the process for registering and operating NGOs. Technical assistance and grants were 
provided to help communities address quality of life and economic development issues, e.g. 
water supply, wastewater treatment, school renovation, and income generation. USAID's media 
program upgraded the professional skills of journalists, strengthened media associations, and 
improved the competitiveness and efficiency of media enterprises. USAID worked with the 
Ministry of Education to implement and sustain a civic education program in elementary schools. 
USAID also supported an award winning and very popular children’s television series designed 
to promote intercultural understanding and conflict prevention. 
The principal threats to sustainability of efforts under this SO is the slight potential for a return 
of the strife between the ethnic Macedonian and ethnic Albanian communities, which led to open 
conflict in February 2001. While the Framework Agreement, signed in 2001, ended the conflict 
and paved the way for lasting peace by addressing the key grievances of the ethnic Albanian 
community, tensions between the two largest ethnic communities remain and many of the root 
causes of the 2001 crisis continue, such as weak economic growth, lack of confidence in key 
government institutions, lack of transparency and accountability in decision-making, weak 
checks and balances, and limited understanding of, and interaction between, different ethnic 
groups. If there were a return to instability in the country then the sustainability of efforts under 
this SO would be in jeopardy.
Lessons Learned for Application to Other SOs
The number one lesson is that building democracy is a long-term prospect and strategies should 
be developed with this in mind. Flexibility in programming is also essential in the early phase of 
democracy building assistance to allow the program to respond to targets of opportunity as they 
arise. It is also critical to plan programming, to the extent possible, two years ahead as last 
minutes efforts generally do not have the impact they should. An example of this was the 2000 
local elections. There was no plan in place for providing technical assistance for these elections. 
A decision was made in May of 2000 to provide support to the State Election Commission for 
the September elections and the Mission bought into the existing Regional Agreement with the 
International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES). However, by the time the Agreement was 
signed, IFES only had around 7 weeks on the ground prior to the elections and therefore its 
ability to assist was limited. Additionally, the Mission decided to organize a special grant round 
under the Democracy Network Program to fund election related projects of local NGOs. 
Because there was insufficient time to provide needed technical assistance and training to 
accompany these grants, the impact of this effort was less than it could have been. This lesson 
was learned and plans to provide assistance for the 2002 parliamentary elections began in 2000. 
It is essential to understand the political and economic system in a country when devising a 
democracy and governance strategy. Understanding who benefits and loses, and how the game 
of politics is played is critical to ensuring that programs have the intended outcomes. It appears 
that limited analysis of the political economy was done prior to the 2000 Democracy and 
Governance Strategic Assessment, which made clear that a system of political patronage thrives 
in the country. The Assessment highlighted that this system is not only a primary problem for 
Macedonia’s democratic transition but also for its move to a market-oriented economy. 
Understanding the nature of Macedonia’s political economy was essential not only for designing 
a democracy and governance program that responded to the key problems that derive from this 
system, i.e. 1) the centrality of politics and the concentration of power in the hands of a few; (2) 
the highly politicized institutions; and (3) the general lack of institutional checks and balances, 
but was also essential for understanding how the democracy and economic portfolios need to 
work together to achieve the desired results.
Understanding the nature of the political economy also brought to light weaknesses in the 
democracy strategy that had, until then, been primarily focused on building civil society. The
political domination of the system was impeding the development of civil society in Macedonia. 
This was mainly due to the fact that the vast majority of the citizens did not perceive that they 
had any means to influence what the State does and that only the political parties provided them 
with the chance to have their interests and needs addressed. NGOs and other civil society 
organizations were not seen as an effective option to solve ones problems or advance ones 
interests. We adjusted our civil society work to address this perception which is paying off as 
according to our latest DG Survey (October 2004), NGOs are now viewed by 48% of the 
population as effective in solving the problems in the country placing them ahead of 
Government, political parties, and any other institution. 
Summary of Performance Indicators Used and Assessment of their Relative Usefulness for 
Performance Management and Reporting
The numerous changes to the indicators during the life of this SO would indicate that they were 
not generally useful to Mission staff for purposes of management and reporting. It seems from a 
review of the Performance Monitoring Tables that no indicators or targets were in place for some 
IRs and many sub-IRs at different times over the years this SO was in existence. Therefore there 
was no way to determine if targets were achieved. This would again indicate that the indicators 
selected were of limited value as a management and reporting tool. 
At the SO level, the indicator used was Freedom House’s annual ratings of a) political process, 
b) civil society, and c) media freedom. While this is a good, reliable, and cost effective indicator 
to track marco-level progress, it is difficult to use this indicator to determine the concrete impact 
of our assistance on Macedonia’s democratic development. This should be combined with a 
more activity specific indicator in order to be most useful for reporting purposes.
The E&E Bureau’s NGO Sustainability Index was used to measure the progress of IR 2.1.1. 
This proved to be a useful indicator for measuring sector level changes in the NGO area. It is a 
bit time consuming to collect the feedback of local experts and write the report. The date for 
release of this report is also not the most useful for the R4 timetable as it is always finalized after 
the R4 process is completed. 
The proposed indicator for measuring IR 2.1.2 was the percentage of the population in national 
survey that rated political parties and parliament as effective institutions. This indicator was not 
established until 2000, and therefore it was only in effect for one year before the SO closed out. 
It does not appear that any targets were established. It is therefore not possible to determine its 
usefulness as an indicator.
The proposed indicator for IR 2.1.3 was the percentage of citizens demonstrating increased 
awareness of their rights and obligations based on a national survey. Again, this indicator was 
not established until 2000, and therefore it was only in effect for one year before the SO closed 
out. It does not appear that any targets were established. It is therefore not possible to determine 
its usefulness as an indicator.
The proposed indicator for IR 2.1.4 was the number of self-sustaining ISOs in place. As the 
Mission viewed this IR as the key transition component of the Strategic Objective it was not 
expected that progress toward this indicator would be visible until later in the strategy period. At 
the time of the SO’s close out, ongoing activities were just beginning to focus on intermediate 
service delivery among partners organizationally prepared for this step. It was envisioned that 
the next step for many of the NGOs assisted under the Democracy Network Program would be to 
strengthen their networks with peer organizations and to consider opportunities for focused 
service delivery. There were no targets set and it does not appear that this indicator was tracked 
during the life of the SO. 
Evaluations, Reports and Special Studies
USAID/Macedonia Results Review and Resource Request (R4): 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 20013
USAID/Macedonia Annual Report: 2002
USAID/Macedonia, Local Government Sector Assessment, USAID/Washington, E&E Bureau, 
March 1998
USAID/Macedonia, NGO Sector Assessment, USAID/Washington, E&E Bureau, 1998
USAID/Macedonia, Democracy and Governance Strategic Assessment, USAID/Washington 
E&E Bureau, October 2000
USAID/Macedonia, Assessment on Ethnic Relations in Macedonia, Management Systems 
International, December 2000
USAID/Macedonia Evaluation of the Democracy Network Program, Development Associates, 
Inc., February 2002
 
3
 We were not able to locate a copy of the 1997 R4 but assume it is on file somewhere in AID/Washington.
Mid-Term Evaluation of the USAID/Macedonia Civic Education Project, Scottish Qualification 
Authorities, May 2002
Freedom House Nations in Transit Index, published annually, www.freedomhouse.org
USAID Europe and Eurasia Bureau’s NGO Sustainability Index, published annually, 
www.usaid.gov/locations/europe_eurasia/dem_gov/ngoindex
Instrument Close-Out Reports
Delphi/STAR Network Project 
Development Alternatives Incorporated (DAI)/Local Government Project
KPMG Barents Group/ Institute for Public Administration Project 
Names and Contact Points of Individuals Directly Involved in Various Phases of the SO
USAID
Brad Fujimoto, Program Officer and SO 2.1 Team Leader 1998-1999
bfujimoto@usaid.gov
Eric Richardson, Democracy Advisor and SO 2.1 Team Leader 1997-1998 (?)
ERichardson@usaid.gov
Diane Ponasik, General Development Officer 
dponasik@hotmail.com
Kathy Stermer, Senior Democracy and Local Governance Advisor and SO 2.1 Team 
Leader 1999-2001
kastermer@usaid.gov
Melita Cokrevska, Project Management Specialist
mcokrevska@usaid.gov
Sladjana Srbinoska, Project Management Specialist 
ssrbinoska@usaid.gov
Partner Organizations
American Bar Association/Central and East European Law Initiative (ABA/CEELI)/ Rule 
of Law
Nicolas Mansfield, Wendy Betts, Evelyn Lance, Eileen Simpson, Tom Jersild, Mary Jennings
740 15th Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20005-1022; Phone: (202) 662-1979; Fax: (202) 662-
1597; E-mail: wbetts@abaceeli.org; ceelimk@mt.net.mk, nmans@bih.net.ba
American Center for International Labor Solidarity (ACILS)/Labor Unions Program
Robert Pajkovski, Country Director; Adrianne Doherty, Program Officer
1925 K St., NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006-1105; Phone: (202) 778-4659; Fax: (202) 
778-4647: E-mail: rpajkovski@solidaritycenter.org ; adoherty@solidaritycenter.org
Catholic Relief Services (CRS)/Civic Education Program
Anat Prag, Project Manager
Dane Krapcev 10A, Skopje 1000; Phone: 321-7345; Fax: 313-6242
E-mail: crsmac@catholicrelief.org.mk, smaggard@catholicrelief.org.mk
Institute for Sustainable Community (ISC)/Democracy Network Program 
George Hamilton, President, Steve Nichols, Terry Armstrong, Paul Nuti, Country Directors
535 Stone Cutters Way, Montpelier, VT 05602 USA
E-mail: isc@iscvt.org
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)/NGO Legal Reform
Douglas Rutzen, President
733 15th Street, NW #420, Washington, DC 20005, Phone: 202-624-0766, ext. 23; Fax: 202-
624-0767; E-mail: drutzen@icnl.org
International Foundation for Election Systems (IFES)/Election Administration Support
Dan Blessington, Country Director; Kathy Vittum, Program Officer
1101 15th Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC 20005 ; Phone (202) 350-6825 ; Fax (202) 
822-9744 ; E-mail: KVittum@ifes.org
International Republican Institute (IRI)/Political Party Support
Greg Simpson, Resident Program Officer; John Anelli, CEE Regional Director
1225 Eye Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20005 ; Phone : (202) 408-9450 ; Fax : 
(202) 408-9462 ; E-mail: iri_mk@mt.net.mk; gsimpson@iri.org; janelli@iri.org
International Research & Exchanges Board (IREX)/Professional Media Program
Mike de Villiers, Country Director; John Somers, Program Officer; Gerhard Saric
2121 K Street, NW, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20037; Phone: (202) 628-8188 ext. 117; Fax: 
(202) 628-8189; E-mail: mdevilliers@europe.irex.org; gsaric@irex.org; js@pauci.kiev.ua
Louis Berger Group/Community Self Help Initiative (CSHI)
Michael Wallace, Country Director
Kliment Ohridski 15; Skopje 1000; Phone/Fax: 312-4411
E-mail: cshi@mt.net.mk, dwuagneux@cshi.com.mk
National Democratic Institute (NDI)/Parliamentary Development
Richard Stoddard, Sheila Fruman, Country Directors ; Victoria Ayer, Resident Representative ; 
Robert Benjamin, CEE Regional Director
2030 M Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20063 ; Phone : (202) 728-5500; Fax: (202) 728-5520
E-mail: ndi@ndi.org.mk; robben@ndi.org; rstoddard@usaid.gov
Search for Common Ground (SCG)/Children’s Educational & Multi-Cultural TV Series
Eran Frankel, Country Director
Orce Nikolov 63, Skopje 1000; Phone: 311-8572; 311-8517; Fax: 311-8322; 
E-mail: sfcg@sfcg.org.mk; marko@sfcg.org.mk