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Brain drain: what we know and what we do not know
Bernd Wächter1
15 Rue D’Egmont, B 1000, Brussels, Belgium
Introduction
In many countries of the world, and probably most markedly in Europe, the mobility of ‘brains’, that is, of tertiary students and of researchers, has in recent years gained currency, and has in fact become an important part of higher education policy. The European Union (EU) expressed the importance it attached to mobility with the creation of programmes such as ERASMUS for students and the Marie Curie scheme for young researchers. Recently, it has started its global
ERASMUS Mundus Programme. Important European policy agendas, such as the
Bologna and Lisbon processes, also attribute considerable importance to international mobility. The same is true at the national level, where governments have established mobility‑related policy objectives and are running bi‑lateral schemes for international mobility. For the initiators of these policies and programmes, mobility is a good thing, worthy of every possible support.
At the same time, and parallel to this view of things, there is — and has been for a long time — a darker perception of international mobility, or, to be precise, of some of its (supposed) effects, which are fears linked to the idea of the ‘brain drain’. Although the term has never been very precisely defined, it is generally understood to refer to a sustained and substantial net outflow of persons from one country to another. If it happens on a large scale, ‘brain drain’ can threaten the very foundations of a country’s higher education and science systems, which is (said to be) the case in a number of developing countries. The term ‘brain drain’ has also been applied to migration movements between developed countries.
One expression of this is the deep conviction of many, if not most observers that
Europe is continuously losing researchers and other highly skilled professionals to the USA. This supposed
Brain drain: what we know and what we do not know
Bernd Wächter1
15 Rue D’Egmont, B 1000, Brussels, Belgium
Introduction
In many countries of the world, and probably most markedly in Europe, the mobility of ‘brains’, that is, of tertiary students and of researchers, has in recent years gained currency, and has in fact become an important part of higher education policy. The European Union (EU) expressed the importance it attached to mobility with the creation of programmes such as ERASMUS for students and the Marie Curie scheme for young researchers. Recently, it has started its global
ERASMUS Mundus Programme. Important European policy agendas, such as the
Bologna and Lisbon processes, also attribute considerable importance to international mobility. The same is true at the national level, where governments have established mobility‑related policy objectives and are running bi‑lateral schemes for international mobility. For the initiators of these policies and programmes, mobility is a good thing, worthy of every possible support.
At the same time, and parallel to this view of things, there is — and has been for a long time — a darker perception of international mobility, or, to be precise, of some of its (supposed) effects, which are fears linked to the idea of the ‘brain drain’. Although the term has never been very precisely defined, it is generally understood to refer to a sustained and substantial net outflow of persons from one country to another. If it happens on a large scale, ‘brain drain’ can threaten the very foundations of a country’s higher education and science systems, which is (said to be) the case in a number of developing countries. The term ‘brain drain’ has also been applied to migration movements between developed countries.
One expression of this is the deep conviction of many, if not most observers that
Europe is continuously losing researchers and other highly skilled professionals to the USA. This supposed
References: Kelo, M. and Wächter, B. (2004) Brain Drain and Brain Gain. Migration in the European Union after Enlargement, Nuffic, The Hague Böhning, W.R. (1981) Elements of a theory of international economic migration to industrial nation states Baldwin, G.B. (1970) Brain Drain or Brain Overflow? Foreign Affairs, 48/170, pp.358–372 Saxenian, A Davis, G. (2005) Doctors without Orders. Highlights of the Sigma Xi Post doc Survey. Education Policy Institute (HEPI) (http://www.hepi.ac.uk/download/19BrainDrain.doc) Kelo, M., Teichler, U., Wächter, B., (2006) EURODATA Backhaus, B., Ninke, L., Over A. (2002) Brain Drain ‑ Brain Gain. Eine Untersuchung über Internationale Berufskarrieren, Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft, Essen 10. Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung. (2001) Deutsche Nachwuchswissenschaftler in den USA