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‘Brain Drain’ Or ‘Brain Circulation’: Evidence From Oecd'S International Migration And R&D Spillovers

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  • Thanh Le

Abstract

This paper empirically investigates whether labour mobility can transfer technology across borders based on the panel cointegration method. Estimates of specifications on a cross‐section of 19 OECD countries during 1980–1990 lend strong support to this thesis. Data indicate that international labour movement may help transfer technology across borders in both directions: from donor countries to host countries and vice versa. This suggests that migration may more likely create a ‘brain circulation’ rather than a ‘brain drain’. In addition, human capital has a significant impact on the research and development (R&D) diffusion process as it enhances a country's capacity to learn from a foreign technology base.

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  • Thanh Le, 2008. "‘Brain Drain’ Or ‘Brain Circulation’: Evidence From Oecd'S International Migration And R&D Spillovers," Scottish Journal of Political Economy, Scottish Economic Society, vol. 55(5), pages 618-636, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scotjp:v:55:y:2008:i:5:p:618-636
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9485.2008.00468.x
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    3. Nune Hovhannisyan & Wolfgang Keller, 2015. "International business travel: an engine of innovation?," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 75-104, March.
    4. David C. Maré & Richard Fabling & Steven Stillman, 2014. "Innovation and the local workforce," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(1), pages 183-201, March.
    5. Fornaro, Paolo & Maliranta, Mika & Rouvinen, Petri, 2019. "Immigrant Innovators and Firm Performance," ETLA Working Papers 63, The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy.
    6. repec:sph:rjedep:v:4:y:2017:i:6:p:29-40 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Cristiano Antonelli & Chiara Franzoni & Aldo Geuna, 2011. "The Contributions of Economics to a Science of Science Policy," Chapters, in: Massimo G. Colombo & Luca Grilli & Lucia Piscitello & Cristina Rossi-Lamastra (ed.), Science and Innovation Policy for the New Knowledge Economy, chapter 1, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    8. Maré, David C. & Fabling, Richard & Stillman, Steven, 2011. "Immigration and Innovation," IZA Discussion Papers 5686, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Le, Thanh, 2010. "Are student flows a significant channel of R&D spillovers from the north to the south?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 107(3), pages 315-317, June.
    10. Mário Amorim-Lopes & Álvaro Almeida & Bernardo Almada-Lobo, 2019. "Physician Emigration: Should they Stay or Should they Go? A Policy Analysis," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 54(3), pages 905-931, October.

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