Brain drain from Turkey: an investigation of students’ return intentions

Abstract

Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. Terms of use: Documents in Brain Drain from Turkey: An Investigation of Students' Return IntentionsNil Demet Güngör Aysit Tansel The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit company supported by Deutsche Post World Net. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its research networks, research support, and visitors and doctoral programs. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public. D I S C U S S I O N P A P E R S E R I E SIZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author. The emigration of skilled individuals from Turkey attracted greater media attention and the interest of policymakers in Turkey, particularly after the experience of recurrent economic crises that have led to an increase in unemployment among the highly educated young. This study estimates a model of return intentions using a dataset compiled from an Internet survey of Turkish students residing abroad. The findings of this study indicate that, as expected, higher salaries offered in the host country and lifestyle preferences, including a more organized environment in the host country, increase the probability of student non-return. However, the analysis also points to the importance of prior return intentions and the role of the family in the decision to return to Turkey or stay overseas. It is also found that the compulsory service requirement attached to government scholarships increases the probability of student return. Turkish Student Association membership also increases return intentions. Longer stay durations, on the other hand, decrease the probability of return. These findings have important policy implications. JEL Classification:F20, F22

Settlement Intentions of Recently Arrived Immigrants and Refugees in the Netherlands

“…This contradicts the findings of other studies which find that contacts with both co-ethnics and natives form an incentive to stay in the host country (e.g. Haug, 2008), but is in line with research on the return intentions of Turkish students studying abroad (Güngör & Tansel, 2008). Possible explanations for our findings are that immigrants who have the intention to return to the origin country stimulate other immigrants to return to the origin country, through transnational social ties and by promoting the sense that one is most comfortable around co-ethnics.…”

“…On the other hand, both social ties with co-ethnics in the host country and social ties with natives represent social capital at the place of residence, and should therefore be positively associated with the intention to stay in the host country (Haug, 2008). However, it can also be argued that interaction with co-ethnics in the host country can stimulate return migration, because co-ethnic contacts can be a link in transnational social networks that facilitate return migration (Güngör & Tansel, 2008). In other words, while contact with natives clearly raises the benefits of settlement in the host country, contact with co-ethnics in the host country can have contrasting effects.…”

Why do they return? Beyond the economic drivers of graduate return migration

“…Not having joined any association or club during their experience outside Sardinia enhances the probability of return by almost twice: low levels of adjustment and integration into local social networks are strong predictors of return and, therefore, confirm previous findings (Baruch et al 2007). Again, unexpectedly, being 'married or unmarried partner' when the application to M&B was submitted is not correlated with return migration countering previous literature (Baruch et al 2007;Güngör and Tansel 2008;Tiemoko 2004). This result is most likely related to the fact that, due to their young average age, few recipients were married or had stable partners when the application was submitted.…”

“…The quantitative analysis shares a number of limitations with other previous similar works (Coniglio and Prota 2008;Güngör and Tansel 2008;Soon 2011Soon , 2010. First, the analysis is purely deductive and is limited to detecting factors that comply with the author's initial expectations, which limits new or novel understandings of the problem.…”

Perceptions and Attitudes of Turkish Youth Studying at Hungarian Universities A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach

“…Among the pull factors, family considerations, followed by high-income levels in the host country and a more ordered lifestyle abroad, in order of importance, all tend to weaken return intentions." [1] …”