83 MARTINDALE CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF PRIVATE ENTERPRISE vice-oriented economy only tightens the negative feedback loop. Government investment and reforms in STEM education Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) outlined Croatia’s plans for allocating EU recovery funding across the Croatian government, including nearly €2 billion for the Ministry of Science, Education, and Youth (European Commission, n.d.), which is the main body responsible for Croatian education. Scheduled for completion in August 2026, the NRRP generally set forth lofty goals for stabilizing the economy post-pandemic and enhancing sustainability. However, most goals specific to the Ministry focus on how content is delivered rather than on rigor (Palijaš, 2024). Interestingly, other NRRP priorities offer avenues to expand STEM employment, for instance, the green energy and digital transitions (European Commission, n.d.). The NRRP demonstrates some degree of awareness of the brain drain dynamic but chooses to address it mainly through bolstering adult education and modifying the primary and secondary school day structure (European Commission, n.d.). Both solutions focus on preventing further migration rather than investigating the motivations behind migration, skirting the problem. Many studies on STEM brain drain in the Balkans focus on individuals pursuing tertiary degrees or early-career professionals (Bosnjak Kuharic et al., 2023). On the contrary, most education reform assessments take place at the primary and secondary schools (European Commission, 2025), creating a disconnect between the brain drain problem and the government’s solutions. Ideally, reforms begin at and focus on tertiary education, where brain drain pressures are strongest, addressing weaknesses for those who stay in Croatia for degrees and then decide to emigrate, but that is not the case. Current reforms at the primary and secondary levels align curricula with labor-market needs, failing to develop goals that would stimulate future economic growth via expansion of STEM-related industries (Palijaš, 2024). There is certainly merit in evaluating all levels of education, yet the government’s strategies do not address the main root of the brain drain dynamic, the post-graduation stage. Despite these governmental reforms, NGOs have advocated in recent years for better STEM programming, increased STEM enrollment, and the development of STEM-dominant industries to combat brain drain. For example, the Institute for Youth Development and Innovativity donates technical equipment to schools and trains instructors (Palijaš, 2024). The Croatian Employers’ Association organizes student internships and argues for continued commitments to restructuring STEM education, including appropriate distribution of existing funds (Hornstein Tomic & Taylor, 2018; World Bank, 2024). NGOs have shouldered disproportionate responsibility for supplying equipment, funding, and teacher training (Hornstein Tomic & Taylor, 2018; Palijaš, 2024), with many schools lacking the infrastructure and personnel to effectively teach science and provide the kind of experiential learning that sustains student interest. Croatia should not rely on NGOs to fill gaps in training students in the sciences and in providing opportunities for exploring whether careers in the sciences are right for them. Rather, the government should formally partner with these organizations, incorporating their programs into the national education framework and funding them sustainably. There is demonstrated desire to reform the educational system (European Commission, n.d.), but evidently misplaced efforts and resources (OECD, 2025) have led to the emergence of low-quality education and lack of a well-trained STEM workforce. Estonia as a model The most active STEM sectors in the Croatian economy are information and communications technology (ICT), pharmaceuticals, and green energy. Croatia has a relatively well-developed ICT infrastructure (U.S. Department of State, 2025a). The pharmaceutical industry in Croatia has likewise grown significantly over the years (Pharmaceuticals - Croatia, 2024). Additionally, in accordance with EU initiatives, Croatia is in the midst of a green transition, with a growing renewable energy sector (World Bank, 2024). Even so, conducting scientific research at capacity in Croatia is challenging. Many individuals capable of performing research have migrated to other countries where jobs are plentiful and pay is better (Bosnjak Kuharic, et al., 2023). Meaningful international collaborations with better-trained and better-equipped individuals are limited; securing funding is difficult; and only weak pipelines exist for translating scientific knowledge into products through business ventures (World Bank, 2024). As a result, those in STEM careers tend to be technicians rather than traditional researchers or entrepreneurs (Palijaš, 2024), the careers that turn exploration into economic returns. Estonia serves as a good point of comparison as it is the strongest STEM performer among CEE na-
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