Human capital flight, sometimes called “brain drain”, refers to the emigration of
intelligent, well-educated individuals to another country for better pay or
conditions, causing the home country to lose those skilled people, or “brains”.
The term "brain drain" was coined by the Royal Society in the 1950s to describe
the emigration of scientists and technologists to North America from post-war
Europe. Albert Einstein was an earlier, and perhaps the most famous, example of
this form of emigration. Einstein was visiting the United States when Adolf Hitler
came to power in 1933 and, being Jewish, did not go back to Germany, where he
had been a professor at the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He settled in the U.S.,
becoming an American citizen in 1940. Although the term originally referred to
science and technology workers leaving a nation, the meaning has broadened to
describe "the departure of educated or professional people from one country,
economic sector, or field for another, usually for better pay or living conditions”.
As with other human migration, the social environment is considered to be a key
reason for this population shift. In source countries, lack of opportunities, political
instability or oppression, economic depression, and health risks contribute to brain
drain. Host countries, on the other hand, may offer employment opportunities,
political stability and freedom, a developed economy, and better living conditions.
At the individual level, family influences (relatives living overseas, for example), as
well as personal preferences, career ambitions and other motivating factors can be
considered.
In spite of its negative connotation, “brain drain” migration can be seen in a
positive light. There is obviously a benefit to the migrating individuals, in terms of
career progression, quality of life and earning power. These professionals often
send remittances home to family members, and they may at some point return to
their home countries with enhanced knowledge and skills. The home country may
also experience an increase in demand for higher level education as people see
the opportunities for educated workers overseas.
On the other hand, it is almost certainly more beneficial for a country to gain
educated professionals than to lose them. It can be argued that the brain drain
leads to an uneven distribution of knowledge, promoting innovation and
development in destination countries, while stripping ‘source’ countries of their
best workers, and therefore hindering their progress.
Some governments have policies to retain skilled workers. In Germany,
Switzerland, Austria and France, for example, government-funded initiatives have
been established to assist professionals working abroad to return to their home
countries. By contrast, the Indian government has not adopted such policies,
believing that the lost talent will eventually contribute to the nation in the future.
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