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The Brain Drain Between Knowledge-based Economies: the European Human Capital Outflow to the US

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  • Ahmed Tritah

Abstract

This paper uses census data from 1980 to 2006 to study the new European emigration to the US. This emigration is about a small but rising number of individuals. Yet since 1990, emigrants are increasingly selected from the upper tail quality distribution of their source country workforce in terms of education, scientifi c knowledge and, unobservable skills. This nineties surge has been amplifed by the fact that returnees were fewer, older and, if anything, relatively less educated. As for the rationales, I provide preliminary evidence showing that the brain drain refl ects the weakness of demand for skilled labor in Europe. Lately, I show that the technological changes triggered by human capital losses could make these outfl ows increasingly costly for Europe in terms of productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Ahmed Tritah, 2008. "The Brain Drain Between Knowledge-based Economies: the European Human Capital Outflow to the US," Economie Internationale, CEPII research center, issue 115, pages 65-108.
    • Handle: RePEc:cii:cepiei:2008-3tc
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    File URL: http://www.cepii.fr/IE/rev115/ei115c.htm
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Saint-Paul, Gilles, 2004. "The Brain Drain: Some Evidence from European Expatriates in the United States," IDEI Working Papers 307, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse.
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    Cited by:

    1. Docquier Frédéric & Rapoport Hillel, 2009. "Documenting the Brain Drain of “La Crème de la Crème”: Three Case-Studies on International Migration at the Upper Tail of the Education Distribution," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 229(6), pages 679-705, December.
    2. Frédéric Docquier & Hillel Rapoport, 2012. "Globalization, Brain Drain, and Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 50(3), pages 681-730, September.
    3. Wifo, 2014. "WIFO-Monatsberichte, Heft 1/2014," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 87(1), January.
    4. Jürgen Janger & Klaus Nowotny, 2014. "Bestimmungsfaktoren für die Arbeitsplatzwahl von Wissenschaftern und Wissenschafterinnen," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 87(1), pages 81-89, January.
    5. Yvette E. Hofmann & Maria Strobel, 2020. "Transparency goes a long way: information transparency and its effect on job satisfaction and turnover intentions of the professoriate," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 90(5), pages 713-732, June.
    6. Jürgen Janger & Klaus Nowotny, 2013. "Career Choices in Academia. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 36," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 46922, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Brain drain; emigration; human capital; Europe-US;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • O31 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives

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