Role of the Diaspora
Give us your best and brightest: the global hunt for talent and its impact on the developing world
Explores policies for combating the brain drain
Authors:
D. Kapur; J. McHale
Publisher:
Center for Global Development, USA, 2005
This book discusses the challenges and opportunities posed by the international migration of labour to developing countries. It discusses issues of “brain drain” and “brain gain,” and also looks at the net effect of migration, considering the multiple ways it affects the lives of those who emigrate, and those who stay behind.
The authors discuss the role of the ‘prospect channel’, which the option of migration creates, to obtain higher education, as in the case of nursing education in the Philippines. The ‘absence channel’ focuses on the effects on those remaining behind when much of the skilled labour leaves a country, creating a vacuum of talent and potential institution-builders.
The role of diasporas is also salient in considering the effect of remittances sent back to poor countries resulting from large segments of their population living abroad. The ‘return channel’ looks at how the return of wealthier, more educated, and better-connected immigrants to their country of origin can positively benefit their home communities.
The book highlights possible policy options for:
- Rich receiving countries:
- stop targeting scarce talent
- compensation to source countries
- invest in domestic human capital
- remove barriers to temporary migration
- Poor source countries:
- control the emigration of talent
- compensation from source countries
- improved taxation regimes
- dual citizenship
- creating and retaining human capital
- connecting with the diaspora.
The book also recommends measures for international cooperation.
