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The Scale and Selectivity of Foreign-Born PhD Recipients in the US

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  • Jeffrey Grogger
  • Gordon Hanson

Abstract

We study the scale and selectivity of foreign-born PhD students in science and engineering. We focus on students from China, India, Korea, and Taiwan, which together account for most roughly one-third of science and engineering PhD students in the United States. The selectivity of these students is high, as measured by their fathers' relative education levels. In China and India, fathers of students who receive US PhDs in these fields are roughly 15 times more likely to have a BA degree than their contemporaries are to have tertiary education. Over time, selectivity falls for China but the trend for other countries is ambiguous.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeffrey Grogger & Gordon Hanson, 2013. "The Scale and Selectivity of Foreign-Born PhD Recipients in the US," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(3), pages 189-192, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:103:y:2013:i:3:p:189-92
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.103.3.189
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Müller, Moritz & Cowan, Robin & Barnard, Helena, 2018. "On the value of foreign PhDs in the developing world: Training versus selection effects in the case of South Africa," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(5), pages 886-900.
    2. Bertoni, Marco & Chattopadhyay, Debdeep & Gu, Yuanyuan, 2023. "Medical Brain Drain – Assessing the Role of Job Attributes and Individual Traits," IZA Discussion Papers 16243, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Peter Huber, 2014. "Entlohnungs- und Anreizstrukturen in der Universitätsforschung. Analyse standardisierter Forscherprofile," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 87(1), pages 67-79, January.
    4. Wei-Chiao Huang & Qing Zang & Daxue Kan, 2024. "Can Education Reduce or Mitigate Discrimination? An Investigation on Earnings of PhD Recipients in the US," Economic Analysis Letters, Anser Press, vol. 3(2), pages 59-73, June.
    5. Andreas Beerli & Ronald Indergand & Johannes S. Kunz, 2023. "The supply of foreign talent: how skill-biased technology drives the location choice and skills of new immigrants," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 36(2), pages 681-718, April.
    6. Blume-Kohout, Margaret E. & Adhikari, Dadhi, 2016. "Training the scientific workforce: Does funding mechanism matter?," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(6), pages 1291-1303.
    7. Aline Bütikofer & Giovanni Peri, 2017. "Cognitive and Noncognitive Skills and the Selection and Sorting of Migrants," NBER Working Papers 23877, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Fouarge, D. & Özer, M.N., 2014. "International mobility of students - Its impact on labour market forecasts and its contribution to the Dutch economy," ROA Technical Report 006, Maastricht University, Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA).
    9. Kevin M. Kniffin & Andrew S. Hanks, 2017. "Antecedents and near-term consequences for interdisciplinary dissertators," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 111(3), pages 1225-1250, June.
    10. Rodrigo Perez-Silva & Mark D. Partridge & William E. Foster, 2019. "Are foreign-born researchers more innovative? Self-selection and the production of knowledge among PhD recipients in the USA," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 557-594, December.
    11. Janger, Jürgen & Nowotny, Klaus, 2016. "Job choice in academia," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8), pages 1672-1683.
    12. Jürgen Janger & Anna Strauss & David Campbell, 2013. "Academic Careers: A Cross-country Perspective. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 37," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 46923, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J44 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Professional Labor Markets and Occupations
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers

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