Globalization, Brain Drain and Development

Abstract

This paper reviews four decades of economics research on the brain drain, with a focus on recent contributions and on development issues. We …rst assess the magnitude, intensity and determinants of the brain drain, showing that brain drain (or high-skill) migration is becoming the dominant pattern of international migration and a major aspect of globalization. We then use a stylized growth model to analyze the various channels through which a brain drain a¤ects the sending countries and review the evidence on these channels. The recent empirical literature shows that high-skill emigration need not deplete a country's human capital stock and can generate positive network externalities. Three case studies are also considered: the African medical brain drain, the recent exodus of European scientists to the United States, and the role of the Indian diaspora in the development of India's IT sector. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of the analysis for education, immigration, and international taxation policies in a global context.We thank three anonymous referees and the editors, Janet Currie and Roger Gordon, for their very helpful suggestions. The paper also bene…ted from interaction with seminar participants at

The Global Distribution of College Graduate Quality

“…We complement our analysis of college graduate quality by country with an analysis of selection in terms of human capital of college-educated migrants for each country. The existing literature documents that developing countries typically lose a larger share of college-educated workers to migration, a phenomenon referred to as "brain drain" (Docquier & Rapoport, 2012). 16 The literature also documents that college-educated workers disproportionately flow to a small set of OECD countries, particularly the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada (Kerr et al, 2016).…”

“…These differences start with large cross-country variation in college enrollment and graduation rates (Barro & Lee, 2013). Migration redistributes college-educated workers among countries, particularly from poorer to richer ones (Docquier & Rapoport, 2012;Kerr et al, 2016). However, we currently have no internationally comparable, economically scaled measures of the quality of college graduates or college-educated migrants that span a large number of countries.…”

Autogenous vaccination in aquaculture: A locally enabled solution towards reduction of the global antimicrobial resistance problem

“…With the right partnerships and policies in place, there is clear opportunity to contribute positively to the balance of skilled migration in low-and medium-income countries. 59 A further advantage of local production of vaccines is the elimination of the biosecurity risk and border control costs involved in import and export of biological products.…”

Mais Médicos Program and Human Capital in Argentina: Brain Drain in the Health Sector?

“…The foregoing, however, does not translate into a reduction in life expectancy in these countries. An extensive review on the migration of skilled workers and its effects on development can be found in Docquier & Rapoport (2021).…”