Search

This contribution aims to highlight the relevance of the concept of brain gain for intra-EU migration. For this purpose, I contrast brain gain and brain circulation as the two poles of a scale, aiming to explain disparities in the migration strategies of highly skilled intra-EU migrants that are related to their countries of origin. I apply this conceptualisation in the analysis of an original representative survey of non-German EU physicians working in Germany – one of the favourite EU destination countries of physicians. Intra-EU migrants working in the medical profession constitute a relevant case study, as this profession is the most mobile highly skilled profession within the EU and is characterised by an acute EU labour shortage. The analysis of the original migration motives and intended length of stay in Germany of the EU physicians surveyed confirms the relevance of the brain gain and brain circulation framework for understanding disparities related to the countries of origin in the migration patterns of highly skilled intra-EU migrants. Indeed, differences related to the EU physicians' regions of origin in respect of the importance of economic migration reasons and the intention to immigrate on a permanent basis correlate with the magnitude of the economic differentials between Germany and the regions of origin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a dataset of 3540 economists working in 2007 in 125 of the best academic centers in 22 countries, this paper presents some evidence on spatial mobility patterns in Spain and other countries conditional on some personal, department, and country characteristics. There are productivity and other reasons for designing a scientific policy with the aims of attracting foreign talent (brain gain), minimizing the elite brain drain, and recovering nationals who have earned a Ph.D. or have spent some time abroad (brain circulation). Our main result is that Spain has more brain gain, more brain circulation and less brain drain than comparable large, continental European countries, i.e., Germany, France, and Italy, where economists have similar opportunities for publishing their research in English or in their own languages. We suggest that these results can be mostly explained by the governance changes introduced in a number of Spanish institutions in 1975–1990 by a sizable contingent of Spanish economists coming back home after attending graduate school abroad. These initiatives were also favored by the availability of resources to finance certain research-related activities, including international Ph.D. programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]