Business Diplomat: Investing in Youth Is Public Investment

This interview brings together Ayşe Nur Karagöz, an EUREFLECT contributor with a Master’s degree in Islamic Law and Islamic Political Philosophy, and Prof. Dr. Mehmet Evkuran, a distinguished Turkish scholar. The interview argues that international experience builds human capital the way infrastructure builds physical capital, with benefits flowing to exports, investment climate and reputation rather than to the individual alone.

Introduction

When states build roads, ports and energy lines, it is called investment. Can the experience a young person gains abroad, the language they learn and the relationships they build be counted in the same category? In the eighth question of its expert interview series, Business Diplomat asks about the role of the public sector. The answer is short, clear and points to a concrete address.

Should states regard young people gaining international experience as a public investment, and how should public support in this area be designed?

"Absolutely. Projects supported by national development agencies should be made use of."

Business Diplomat commentary

This two-sentence answer meets both halves of the question: the first word gives the principle, the second sentence gives the method. An unhesitating "absolutely", followed by a practical suggestion.

Why a public investment? The benefit of a young person gaining international experience does not stay with that person or their employer alone. The market knowledge they acquire, the connections they make and the outlook they develop feed into their country's exports, investment climate and reputation abroad. Because this benefit spreads across society, it is not realistic to expect the individual or a single company to bear the whole cost. Just as infrastructure investment builds physical capital, programmes of this kind build a country's human capital.

Why development agencies? The address the answer suggests is well chosen. Development agencies work on a project basis, know regional needs and have experience in linking the public sector, the private sector and civil society. What stands out is that the answer does not call for a new institution or a new budget line; it proposes using a mechanism that already exists. That is both a faster and a more realistic route.

How should support be designed? Following the door the answer opens, a well-designed public support scheme has several features:

Project-based: Programmes with defined goals and outputs should be supported in place of general scholarships.
Merit-based: Selection should be transparent and should reach young people from different regions.
Run together with the private sector: Companies taking part through co-financing and internships ensures the experience returns to the business world.
Measured by results: What should be tracked is not how many young people were sent, but what work they do on their return and what partnerships they build.
Continuous: Participants staying within a network after the programme ends protects the value of the investment.

The role of Business Diplomat. The platform's mission is to give young people experience, bring a diplomatic order to the business world, and benefit states by revitalising the economy. This mission offers the kind of project ground that public support looks for: a clear goal, links with business and results that can be followed. As a structure open to cooperation with development agencies and similar institutions, Business Diplomat can help public resources find their return in the field.

Conclusion

Young people's international experience is an investment for the country as much as a personal gain, and the "absolutely" in the answer leaves no room for debate. The route is also clear: making use of project support from existing development agencies. What remains is to match this support with well-designed, measurable and sustainable programmes. Business Diplomat aims to be one of the platforms that build this link between the public sector and young people.