Diaspora Networks, Knowledge Flows and Brain Drain

Ajay Agrawal

No 15, WIPO Economic Research Working Papers from World Intellectual Property Organization - Economics and Statistics Division

Abstract: I summarize key findings from the literature on how distance, relationships, and ethnic ties influence knowledge flows and describe a model that relates emigration and the diaspora to knowledge flows. I then recap a key study that reports evidence of a link from the diaspora and knowledge flows to home country manufacturing productivity. Next, I summarize the ways in which intellectual property protection may influence knowledge flow patterns through incentives (market for ideas) and disincentives (anticommons). Finally, I speculate on how diaspora knowledge flows and intellectual property may alleviate developing country low-productivity equilibria (“poverty traps†) caused by an underinvestment in specialized human capital.

Pages: 17 pages
Date: 2014-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hrm, nep-ino, nep-knm, nep-mig and nep-sog
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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