The Elite Brain Drain

Rosalind S. Hunter, Andrew J. Oswald and Bruce G. Charlton ()
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Rosalind S. Hunter: University of Warwick
Bruce G. Charlton: Newcastle University

No 4005, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Abstract: We collect data on the movement and productivity of elite scientists. Their mobility is remarkable: nearly half of the world's most-cited physicists work outside their country of birth. We show they migrate systematically towards nations with large R&D spending. Our study cannot adjudicate on whether migration improves scientists' productivity, but we find that movers and stayers have identical h-index citations scores. Immigrants in the UK and US now win Nobel Prizes proportionately less often than earlier. US residents' h-indexes are relatively high. We describe a framework where a key role is played by low mobility costs in the modern world.

Keywords: mobility; science; brain drain; citations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O3 J6 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-lab, nep-mig and nep-sog
Date: 2009-02
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Published in: Economic Journal, 2009, 119 (538), F231 - F251

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Journal Article: The Elite Brain Drain (2009)
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