IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/jed/journl/v41y2016i2p27-52.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Corruption And Emigration Of Physicians From Africa

Author

Listed:
  • MAWUSSE K.N. OKEY

    (University of Lome, Togo)

Abstract

Medical brain drain remains a major challenge for African countries mostly characterized by poor economic, political and health institutions. This paper seeks to determine how corruption in the home country affects physician emigration from Africa. Econometric estimations are implemented on a panel of 50 African countries over the period 1995-2004, using both the dynamic panel data approach and the count data analysis. Our results suggest that: first, corruption promotes physician emigration from Africa. The most corrupt countries experience higher physician emigration rates. Second, income level, especially the returns to education, is one of the channels through which corruption promotes physician emigration. To ensure retention of African health-care professionals and ultimate reduction in medical brain drain, the fight against corruption must be one of the essential measures.

Suggested Citation

  • Mawusse K.N. Okey, 2016. "Corruption And Emigration Of Physicians From Africa," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 41(2), pages 27-52, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:jed:journl:v:41:y:2016:i:2:p:27-52
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.jed.or.kr/full-text/41-2/2.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Capuano, Stella & Marfouk, Abdeslam, 2013. "African brain drain and its impact on source countries: What do we know and what do we need to know?," MPRA Paper 47944, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Arellano, Manuel & Bover, Olympia, 1995. "Another look at the instrumental variable estimation of error-components models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 68(1), pages 29-51, July.
    3. Andrea ARIU & Pasquamaria SQUICCIARINI, 2013. "The Balance of Brains: Corruption and High Skilled Migration," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2013010, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    4. Marie Poprawe, 2015. "On the relationship between corruption and migration: empirical evidence from a gravity model of migration," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 163(3), pages 337-354, June.
    5. M. Emranul Haque & Richard Kneller, 2008. "Public Investment and Growth: The Role of Corruption," Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research Discussion Paper Series 98, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    6. Blundell, Richard & Bond, Stephen, 1998. "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data models," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 87(1), pages 115-143, August.
    7. Paul Collier & Anke Hoeffler, 2018. "Migration, Diasporas and Culture: An Empirical Investigation," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 71(1), pages 86-109, February.
    8. Paul Collier & Anke Hoeffler, 2014. "Migration, Diasporas and Culture: an Empirical Investigation," Economics Series Working Papers WPS/2014-27, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    9. Hagopian, Amy & Ofosu, Anthony & Fatusi, Adesegun & Biritwum, Richard & Essel, Ama & Gary Hart, L. & Watts, Carolyn, 2005. "The flight of physicians from West Africa: Views of African physicians and implications for policy," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(8), pages 1750-1760, October.
    10. Emmanuelle Lavallée & Mireille Razafindrakoto & François Roubaud, 2008. "Corruption and trust in political institutions in sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers DT/2008/07, DIAL (Développement, Institutions et Mondialisation).
    11. Rowlands, Dane, 1999. "Domestic Governance and International Migration," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 27(8), pages 1477-1491, August.
    12. Arusha Cooray & Friedrich Schneider, 2016. "Does corruption promote emigration? An empirical examination," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 29(1), pages 293-310, January.
    13. Michel Beine & Fréderic Docquier & Hillel Rapoport, 2008. "Brain Drain and Human Capital Formation in Developing Countries: Winners and Losers," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 118(528), pages 631-652, April.
    14. Michael Clemens, 2007. "Do Visas Kill? Health Effects of African Health Professional Emigration," Working Papers 114, Center for Global Development.
    15. Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira & Christopher H. Herbst & Agnes Soucat & Christophe Lemiere & Karima Saleh, 2013. "Towards Interventions in Human Resources for Health in Ghana : Evidence for Health Workforce Planning and Results," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 13116, December.
    16. Stark, Oded & Helmenstein, Christian & Prskawetz, Alexia, 1998. "Human capital depletion, human capital formation, and migration: a blessing or a "curse"?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 363-367, September.
    17. Cuneyt Koyuncu & Rasim Yilmaz, 2009. "The impact of corruption on deforestation: a cross-country evidence," Journal of Developing Areas, Tennessee State University, College of Business, vol. 42(2), pages 213-222, January-M.
    18. repec:dau:papers:123456789/218 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. us Swaleheen, Mushfiq, 2008. "Corruption and saving in a panel of countries," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 1285-1301, September.
    20. Weinberg, Bruce A., 2011. "Developing science: Scientific performance and brain drains in the developing world," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 95-104, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ha, Wei & Yi, Junjian & Zhang, Junsen, 2016. "Brain drain, brain gain, and economic growth in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 322-337.
    2. Frédéric Docquier & Elisabetta Lodigiani, 2010. "Skilled Migration and Business Networks," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 21(4), pages 565-588, September.
    3. Blaise Gnimassoun & John C. Anyanwu, 2019. "The Diaspora and economic development in Africa," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 155(4), pages 785-817, November.
    4. Beine, Michel & Docquier, Frédéric & Oden-Defoort, Cecily, 2011. "A Panel Data Analysis of the Brain Gain," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 523-532, April.
    5. Blaise Gnimassoun & John Anyanwu, 2019. "Working Paper 308 - The Diaspora and Economic Development in Africa," Working Paper Series 2434, African Development Bank.
    6. Auer Daniel & Tjaden Jasper & Römer Friederike, 2020. "Corruption and the Desire to Leave Quasi-Experimental Evidence on Corruption as a Driver of Emigration Intentions," IZA Journal of Development and Migration, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 11(1), pages 1-31, January.
    7. Di Maria, Corrado & Lazarova, Emiliya A., 2012. "Migration, Human Capital Formation, and Growth: An Empirical Investigation," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 938-955.
    8. Okey K. N. Mawussé, 2013. "Institutions and scientific research in Africa," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 33(2), pages 1487-1503.
    9. Frédéric Docquier & Hillel Rapoport, 2012. "Globalization, Brain Drain, and Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 50(3), pages 681-730, September.
    10. Thierry Baudassé & Rémi Bazillier & Ismaël Issifou, 2018. "Migration And Institutions: Exit And Voice (From Abroad)?," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 727-766, July.
    11. Antwi, James & Phillips, David C., 2013. "Wages and health worker retention: Evidence from public sector wage reforms in Ghana," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 101-115.
    12. Grigoli, Francesco & Mills, Zachary, 2011. "Do high and volatile levels of public investment suggest misconduct ? the role of institutional quality," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5735, The World Bank.
    13. Auer, Daniel & Römer, Friederike & Tjaden, Jasper, 2020. "Corruption and the Desire to Leave Quasi-Experimental Evidence on Corruption as a Driver of Emigration Intentions," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 11(1), pages 1-1.
    14. Docquier, Frédéric & Lodigiani, Elisabetta & Rapoport, Hillel & Schiff, Maurice, 2016. "Emigration and democracy," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 209-223.
    15. Elisabetta Lodigiani, 2009. "Diaspora Externalities as a Cornerstone of the New Brain Drain Literature," DEM Discussion Paper Series 09-03, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    16. Salma Louati & Younes Boujelbene, 2020. "Inflation targeting and bank risk: The interacting effect of institutional quality," Cogent Business & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 7(1), pages 1847889-184, January.
    17. Arusha Cooray & Friedrich Schneider, 2016. "Does corruption promote emigration? An empirical examination," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 29(1), pages 293-310, January.
    18. Dramane Coulibaly & Blaise Gnimassoun, 2022. "Emigration and Capital Flows: Do Migrants’ Skills Matter?," Working Papers of BETA 2022-31, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    19. Cooray, Arusha & Dzhumashev, Ratbek, 2018. "The effect of corruption on labour market outcomes," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 207-218.
    20. McAusland, Carol & Kuhn, Peter, 2011. "Bidding for brains: Intellectual property rights and the international migration of knowledge workers," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 95(1), pages 77-87, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Medical Brain Drain; Physician Emigration; Corruption; Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D73 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Bureaucracy; Administrative Processes in Public Organizations; Corruption
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:jed:journl:v:41:y:2016:i:2:p:27-52. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sung Y. Park (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/eccaukr.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.