Eight Questions about Brain Drain

High-skilled emigration is an emotive issue that in popular discourse is often referred to as brain drain, conjuring images of extremely negative impacts on developing countries. Recent discussions of brain gain, diaspora effects, and other advantages of migration have been used to argue against this, but much of the discussion has been absent of evidence. This paper builds upon a new wave of empirical research to answer eight key questions underlying much of the brain drain debate: 1) What is brain drain? 2) Why should economists care about it? 3) Is brain drain increasing? 4) Is there a positive relationship between skilled and unskilled migration? 5) What makes brain drain more likely? 6) Does brain gain exist? 7) Do high-skilled workers remit, invest, and share knowledge back home? and 8) What do we know about the fiscal and production externalities of brain drain?

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gibson, John, McKenzie, David
Format: Policy Research Working Paper biblioteca
Language:English
Published: 2011-05-01
Subjects:ADVANCED DEGREES, AGED, ANNUAL REMITTANCES, BRAIN DRAIN, BRAIN GAIN, BRAIN WASTE, CAPITA INCOME, CAPITAL FLOWS, CAREER, CAREERS, CENSUS DATA, CHILD MORTALITY, CHILD MORTALITY RATES, CITIZEN, CIVIC PARTICIPATION, COUNTRY PAIR, DEFERRED COST RECOVERY, DEGREES, DEMOCRACY, DESTINATION COUNTRY, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, DIASPORA, EARNINGS OF IMMIGRANTS, EDUCATED MIGRANTS, EDUCATION SYSTEMS, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, EDUCATIONAL SYSTEMS, EFFECTS ON DEVELOPMENT, EMIGRATION, EMIGRATION LEVELS, ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES, EXCHANGE RATE, EXCHANGE RATES, FAMILIES, FAMILY REUNIFICATION, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, FOREIGN LANGUAGES, FOREIGN STUDENTS, FOREIGN WORKERS, FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT, FURTHER EDUCATION, FUTURE RESEARCH, GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT, GLOBAL HEALTH, GLOBAL POPULATION, GLOBAL REMITTANCE, GRADUATE EDUCATION, GROSS NATIONAL INCOME, HEALTH EFFECTS, HEALTH OUTCOMES, HEALTH WORKERS, HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATES, HIGH SKILLED MIGRATION, HIGHER EDUCATION, HIGHER INCOMES, HIGHLY SKILLED EMIGRANTS, HIGHLY SKILLED INDIVIDUALS, HIV, HOME COUNTRIES, HOME COUNTRY, HOST SOCIETY, HUMAN CAPITAL, HUMAN CAPITAL FORMATION, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, HUMAN RESOURCES, HUMAN RIGHTS, ILLEGAL MIGRANTS, IMMIGRANT, IMMIGRANTS, IMMIGRATION, IMMIGRATION POLICIES, INCOME TAX, INFANT, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, INTERNAL BRAIN DRAIN, INTERNAL MIGRATION, INTERNATIONAL MIGRANTS, INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, JOB OPPORTUNITIES, LABOR FORCE, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKETS, LARGE POPULATION, LEVEL OF EDUCATION, LIQUIDITY, LIQUIDITY CONSTRAINTS, LITERATURE, LIVING STANDARDS, MACROECONOMIC LEVEL, MASTERS DEGREES, MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, MEDICAL SCHOOL, MIGRANT, MIGRANT NETWORKS, MIGRANT STOCK, MIGRANT-SENDING COUNTRIES, MIGRANTS, MIGRATION, MIGRATION COSTS, MIGRATION DATA, MIGRATION DECISIONS, MIGRATION FLOWS, MIGRATION POLICY, MINORITY, NATIONALS, NORTH MIGRATION, NURSE, NURSES, NURSING, OPEN ACCESS, PANDEMIC, PAPERS, PATIENTS, PHYSICIANS, POLICY CONCERN, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLITICAL INSTABILITY, POPULATION CENSUSES, POPULATION SIZE, PRESS RELEASE, PRIMARY EDUCATION, PRIVATE EDUCATION, PRIVATE SECTOR, PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT, PROFESSIONAL EMIGRATION, PROFESSORS, PROGRESS, QUALITY EDUCATION, RECIPIENT COUNTRY, REMITTANCE, REMITTANCE DATA, REMITTANCES, RETURN MIGRATION, ROLE OF MIGRATION, RURAL AREAS, SCIENTIST, SCIENTISTS, SECONDARY EDUCATION, SECONDARY SCHOOLING, SECONDARY SCHOOLS, SELECTIVE IMMIGRATION, SEND REMITTANCES, SKILL COMPOSITION, SKILL LEVEL, SKILL LEVELS, SKILLED EMIGRANTS, SKILLED LABOR, SKILLED LABOR FORCE, SKILLED MIGRANTS, SKILLED OCCUPATIONS, SKILLED PROFESSIONALS, SKILLED WORKER, SKILLED WORKERS, SOCIAL SCIENTISTS, SOCIAL WELFARE, SPOUSES, STUDENT LOAN, STUDENT LOAN PAYMENTS, STUDENT LOAN PROGRAMS, SUPPLY ELASTICITY, TEACHER, TEACHERS, TERTIARY EDUCATION, TOLERANCE, UNEMPLOYMENT, UNIVERSITY DEGREE, UNIVERSITY GRADUATES, UNIVERSITY TRAINING, UNSKILLED LABOR, UNSKILLED MIGRATION, UNSKILLED WORKERS, USE OF REMITTANCES, VACCINATION, VIOLENCE, WORKER MIGRATION, WORKFORCE, WORKING MIGRANTS, WORLD POPULATION, WORLD POPULATION GROWTH,
Online Access:http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20110524155759
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3431
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