Investigating the relationship between job satisfaction and academic brain drain: the Italian case

Benedetto Torrisi () and Giuseppe Pernagallo
Additional contact information
Benedetto Torrisi: University of Catania

Scientometrics, 2020, vol. 124, issue 2, No 6, 925-952

Abstract: Abstract This work aims to show whether working in a good organisational atmosphere (job satisfaction) in the academic sector influences the propensity to migrate. This theory was tested using two surveys administered to Italian researchers abroad (IRA) and Italian researchers in Italy (IRI). The main purposes were: first, to study the relation among job satisfaction, quality of life and the propensity to migrate between IRA and IRI; second, to quantify how job satisfaction influences the academic brain drain propensity and the quality of life. Our research reveals a dual state of Italian academic job satisfaction. Those researchers who live abroad report satisfaction for all the four dimensions of job satisfaction, which influences positively their quality of life and decreases their propensity to return to Italy. In contrast, researchers that remain in Italy adapt to the system and record negative perception of job satisfaction, low quality of life and show propensity to emigrate abroad. The Italian academic environment must improve its status with an emphasis on organisational and job satisfaction. This can be done through a direct intervention in organisational administration favouring streamlined procedures, functional research productivity, harmony of academic standards and a meritocratic reward process.

Keywords: Academic brain drain; Academic job satisfaction; Education policy; Human capital; Ordered probit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I28 I29 J24 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11192-020-03509-2 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:scient:v:124:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s11192-020-03509-2

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/economics/journal/11192

DOI: 10.1007/s11192-020-03509-2

Access Statistics for this article

Scientometrics is currently edited by Wolfgang Glänzel

More articles in Scientometrics from Springer, Akadémiai Kiadó
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().