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Do migrants transfer productive knowledge back to their origin countries?

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  • Jérome VALETTE

Abstract

This paper analyses whether international migrants contribute to foster innovation in developing countries by inducing a transfer of productive knowledge from destination to the migrants’ home countries. Using the Economic Complexity Index as a proxy for the amount of productive knowledge embedded in each countries, and bilateral migrant stocks to 20 OECD destination countries, we show that international emigration is a strong channel of technological transmission. Diasporas foster the local adoption of new technologies by connecting high technology countries with low ones, reducing the uncertainty surrounding their profitability. Our empirical results support the fact that technological transfers are more likely to occur out of more technologically advanced destinations and when emigration rates particularly high.

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  • Jérome VALETTE, 2016. "Do migrants transfer productive knowledge back to their origin countries?," Working Papers 201622, CERDI.
  • Handle: RePEc:cdi:wpaper:1835
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    2. Arif, Imran, 2021. "Productive knowledge, economic sophistication, and labor share," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    3. Bahar, Dany & Rapoport, Hillel & Turati, Riccardo, 2022. "Birthplace diversity and economic complexity: Cross-country evidence," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(8).
    4. Dany Bahar & Hillel Rapoport & Riccardo Turati, 2019. "Does Birthplace Diversity Affect Economic Complexity ? Cross-Country Evidence," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2019020, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    5. Chletsos, Michael & Roupakias, Stelios, 2019. "Immigration and the economic performance of countries," MPRA Paper 94994, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Avom, Désiré & Keneck-Massil, Joseph & Njangang, Henri & Nvuh-Njoya, Youssouf, 2022. "Why are some resource-rich countries more sophisticated than others? The role of the regime type and political ideology," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    7. Adam Levai & Riccardo Turati, 2021. "The Impact of Immigration on Workers’ Protection," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2021021, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES), revised 07 Sep 2021.
    8. Ben Saad, Myriam & Brahim, Mariem & Schaffar, Alexandra & Guesmi, Khaled & Ben Saad, Rym, 2023. "Economic complexity, diversification and economic development: The strategic factors," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    9. Henri Njangang & Youssouf Nvuh-Njoya, 2023. "Unravelling the link between democracy and economic complexity: fresh evidence from the Varieties of Democracy data," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(3), pages 1-32, March.
    10. Brice Kamguia & Sosson Tadadjeu & Clovis Miamo & Henri Njangang, 2022. "Does foreign aid impede economic complexity in developing countries?," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 169, pages 71-88.
    11. Ben Atta, Oussama & Chort, Isabelle & Senne, Jean Noël, 2022. "Immigration, integration, and the informal economy in OECD countries," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1197, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    12. Tuccio, Michele & Wahba, Jackline, 2020. "Social Remittances," GLO Discussion Paper Series 609, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    13. Idrys Fransmel Okombi & Beaudelaire Francois Tsinguia-Kenfack, 2024. "Foreign direct investment and economic complexity in developing countries: does public expenditure on education matter?," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 1-38, January.
    14. Arif, Imran, 2019. "How Tall Are the Paper Walls? Barriers to International Mobility and Technology Diusion," Journal of Regional Analysis and Policy, Mid-Continent Regional Science Association, vol. 49(2), October.
    15. María Guadalupe Montiel-Hernández & Carla Carolina Pérez-Hernández & Blanca Cecilia Salazar-Hernández, 2024. "The Intrinsic Links of Economic Complexity with Sustainability Dimensions: A Systematic Review and Agenda for Future Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-26, January.
    16. Riccardo Turati, 2020. "Network-based Connectedness and the Diffusion of Cultural Traits," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2020012, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    17. Jasnine Mogem Kouam & Luc Nembot Ndeffo & Mathurin Aimé Mekam Pouatcha, 2023. "The long and short run effects of foreign direct investment on economic complexity in Sub-Saharan African countries," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 43(3), pages 1421-1433.
    18. Brice Kamguia & Joseph Keneck‐Massil & Henri Njangang & Sosson Tadadjeu, 2024. "Sophistication gap between countries: The effect of research and development expenditure," Economics of Transition and Institutional Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(3), pages 739-778, July.
    19. Levai, Adam & Turati, Riccardo, 2024. "International Immigration and Labor Regulation," IZA Discussion Papers 16929, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    20. Yosra Saidi, 2024. "Remittances and growth in Africa: Does financial development and institutional quality matter?," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 44(1), pages 163-172.
    21. Keneck-Massil, Joseph & Nvuh-Njoya, Youssouf, 2021. "Did colonisation matter for comparative economic complexity?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    22. Honoré Tekam Oumbé & Ronald Djeunankan & Alain Mekia Ndzana, 2023. "Does information and communication technologies affect economic complexity?," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(4), pages 1-25, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technology transfer; Export sophistication; Diaspora externalities.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F63 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Economic Development
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration

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