2007年-世界发展银行全球_Brain_Drain_in_Developing_Countries_26页_310kb

Summary of "Brain Drain in Developing Countries"

Core Content

This article, authored by Frédéric Docquier, Olivier Lohest, and Abdeslam Marfouk, analyzes the phenomenon of brain drain—skilled emigration—from developing countries between 1990 and 2000. It introduces a new harmonized data set on international migration by educational attainment, which allows for a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of brain drain compared to previous studies. The analysis focuses on identifying the determinants of brain drain and its impact on developing countries.

Main Points

• Brain Drain Definition: Brain drain refers to the migration of high-skill workers (post-secondary educated) from developing countries.
• New Data Set: The study uses a comprehensive data set that includes census and administrative data from all OECD countries, offering a more reliable measure of skilled migration.
• Key Determinants: The brain drain is decomposed into two components:
  • Openness: Measured by the average emigration rate of working-age natives.
  • Schooling Gap: Measured by the relative education level of emigrants compared to natives.
• Factors Influencing Brain Drain:
  • Country Size: Small countries have higher emigration rates.
  • Development Level: Poor countries show higher schooling gaps.
  • Political Instability and Fractionalization: Increase brain drain.
  • Human Capital: Higher human capital increases openness but reduces the schooling gap.
  • Colonial Links and Geographic Proximity: Countries with strong historical ties to OECD nations and closer geographic location to them experience higher brain drain.
  • Immigration Policies: Countries with quality-selective immigration policies attract more skilled migrants.

Key Findings

• Global Trends:
  • Between 1990 and 2000, the number of skilled immigrants in OECD countries increased by 64%, with developing countries contributing a significant share.
  • In 2000, developing countries accounted for 64.5% of total immigrants and 61.6% of skilled immigrants in the OECD.
• Regional Differences:
  • High Brain Drain Rates: Observed in small island developing countries (e.g., Seychelles, Grenada, Jamaica), least developed countries (e.g., Sub-Saharan Africa), and the Middle East and North Africa.
  • Low Brain Drain Rates: Found in large developing countries and landlocked countries.
• Emigration Rates by Education Level:
  • On average, skilled workers make up 33% of all emigrants from developing countries, compared to only 6% of the resident labor force.
  • Skilled emigration rates (7.3%) are significantly higher than average emigration rates (1.5%).

Data and Methodology

• Data Sources: The study relies on census and registry data from OECD countries, and uses alternative data sources for non-OECD countries.
• Educational Attainment Data:
  • For OECD countries, data from de la Fuente and Domenech (2002) are used.
  • For non-OECD countries, data from Barro and Lee (2001) are used, with adjustments for countries not included in their dataset.
• Measurement of Emigration Rates:
  • The emigration rate is defined as the ratio of skilled emigrants to the total educated labor force in the source country.
  • This approach allows for a better understanding of the pressure on the local labor market.

Comparison with Previous Studies

• Carrington and Detragiache (1998, 1999) and Adams (2003) used OECD and U.S. data, leading to significant over- and underestimation biases.
• Overestimation: In countries like Algeria, Morocco, and São Tomé and Principe, brain drain rates were overestimated by 35–45% using earlier methods.
• Underestimation: In Sub-Saharan African countries and small developing states, the brain drain was underestimated.
• New Method: The Docquier-Marfouk data set provides a more accurate and comparable measure of skilled emigration, reducing biases in the analysis.

Conclusion

The study highlights the importance of country size, development level, political stability, and immigration policies in shaping brain drain. It also emphasizes the need for reliable and comparable data to understand the economic implications of skilled migration from developing countries. The new data set offers a more nuanced and accurate picture of brain drain, contributing to a better-informed debate on its causes and consequences.