IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v12y2020i21p9210-d440560.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Location Choice of Overseas High-Level Young Returned Talents in China

Author

Listed:
  • Haining Jiang

    (College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China)

  • Wenzhong Zhang

    (Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, CAS, Beijing 100101, China
    Institute of Geographic Science and Natural Resources Research, CAS, Beijing 100101, China)

  • Jian Duan

    (College of Geography and Environmental Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, China)

Abstract

International talent’s mobility has increased over the last decade, especially in the wake of globalization and knowledge economy. China no longer exclusively shows an asymmetrical flow to developed countries, but it often turns out to be the most desirable destination of brain circulation for some overseas high-level young returned talents. In this context, based on the data obtained from the “Thousand Youth Talents Plan” (2011–2016) publicized by the Central Millennium Plan Office, the methods of the Moran’s I index, the Getis-Ord Gi * index, and the Poisson regression model are adopted in this study to analyze the location choice of overseas high-level young returned talents in China and its driving factors. The spatial configuration shows up that the United States is the most important origin overseas and China’s municipalities or provincial capitals are the most remarkable destinations. Moreover, the analysis reveals the distribution by academic majors is uneven, which may be caused by knowledge priority and legacies of China’s Soviet-style innovation system. The main analysis is extended with the Poisson regression model to estimate the significance of the influence factors. The empirical results show that the factors in order of importance are academic opportunity, urban amenity, and place attachment. Concretely, the most important factors for location choice of overseas high-level young returned talents, namely research and development (R&D) investment, internal convenience and hierarchy level in science and technology (S&T) system, external accessibility, transportation accessibility, university endowment, and health care are the substantial secondary factors, while place-oriented talent agglomeration and prior alumni connection play a minor role.

Suggested Citation

  • Haining Jiang & Wenzhong Zhang & Jian Duan, 2020. "Location Choice of Overseas High-Level Young Returned Talents in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-16, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:9210-:d:440560
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/9210/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/21/9210/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhifeng Shen & Ahsan Siraj & Hongbing Jiang & Yongming Zhu & Junjie Li, 2020. "Chinese-Style Innovation and Its International Repercussions in the New Economic Times," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-17, March.
    2. Zhifeng Yin & Qiang Zhi, 2017. "Dancing with the academic elite: a promotion or hindrance of research production?," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 110(1), pages 17-41, January.
    3. Everett Lee, 1966. "A theory of migration," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 3(1), pages 47-57, March.
    4. Andrés Rodríguez-Pose & Tobias D. Ketterer, 2012. "Do Local Amenities Affect The Appeal Of Regions In Europe For Migrants?," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 535-561, October.
    5. Mao, Guanfeng & Hu, Bei & Song, Hong, 2009. "Exploring talent flow in Wuhan automotive industry cluster at China," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(1), pages 395-402, November.
    6. Dai, Ou & Liu, Xiaohui, 2009. "Returnee entrepreneurs and firm performance in Chinese high-technology industries," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 373-386, August.
    7. Riccardo Crescenzi & Nancy Holman & Enrico Orru’, 2017. "Why do they return? Beyond the economic drivers of graduate return migration," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 59(3), pages 603-627, November.
    8. Hong, Wei, 2008. "Decline of the center: The decentralizing process of knowledge transfer of Chinese universities from 1985 to 2004," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 580-595, May.
    9. Gupeng Zhang & Jiancheng Guan & Xielin Liu, 2014. "The impact of small world on patent productivity in China," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 98(2), pages 945-960, February.
    10. Ron Boschma, 2005. "Proximity and Innovation: A Critical Assessment," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(1), pages 61-74.
    11. Lin, Daomi & Zheng, Wei & Lu, Jiangyong & Liu, Xiaohui & Wright, Mike, 2019. "Forgotten or not? Home country embeddedness and returnee entrepreneurship," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 54(1), pages 1-13.
    12. De la Roca, Jorge, 2017. "Selection in initial and return migration: Evidence from moves across Spanish cities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(C), pages 33-53.
    13. Wentian Shi & Debin Du & Wenlong Yang, 2019. "The Flow Network of Chinese Scientists and Its Driving Mechanisms Based on the Spatial Development Path of CAS and CAE Academicians," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-22, October.
    14. David Emanuel Andersson & Saileshsingh Gunessee & Christian Wichmann Matthiessen & Søren Find, 2014. "The Geography of Chinese Science," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 46(12), pages 2950-2971, December.
    15. Yaqin Su & Yue Hua & Xiaobo Liang, 2019. "Toward Job or Amenity?: Evaluating the Locational Choice of Internal Migrants in China," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 42(5-6), pages 400-430, September.
    16. Haining Jiang & Wei Xu & Wenzhong Zhang, 2018. "Transportation Accessibility and Location Choice of Japanese-Funded Electronic Information Manufacturing Firms in Shanghai," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-21, February.
    17. Qiongqiong Chen & Yuan Li, 2019. "Mobility, Knowledge Transfer, and Innovation: An Empirical Study on Returned Chinese Academics at Two Research Universities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-14, November.
    18. David E. Clark & William E. Herrin & Thomas A. Knapp & Nancy E. White, 2003. "Migration and implicit amenity markets: does incomplete compensation matter?," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 3(3), pages 289-307, July.
    19. Emil Israel & Nir Cohen & Daniel Czamanski, 2019. "Return on capital? Determinants of counter-migration among early career Israeli STEM researchers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(8), pages 1-20, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Chenhui Hu & Haining Jiang, 2021. "Causal Nexus between Sci-Tech Talent and Economic Growth in the Pan-Yangtze River Delta of China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-18, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yi, Lingfeng & Wang, Yue & Upadhaya, Bedanand & Zhao, Sijia & Yin, Yishuai, 2021. "Knowledge spillover, knowledge management capabilities, and innovation among returnee entrepreneurial firms in emerging markets: Does entrepreneurial ecosystem matter?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 130(C), pages 283-294.
    2. Yao, Li & Li, Jun & Li, Jian, 2020. "Urban innovation and intercity patent collaboration: A network analysis of China’s national innovation system," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    3. Zhihui Li & Chao Li & John Gibson & Xiangzheng Deng, 2024. "Two decades of inter-city migration in China: The role of economic, natural and social amenities," Working Papers in Economics 24/05, University of Waikato.
    4. María Gutiérrez-Portilla & Adolfo Maza & María Hierro, 2018. "Foreigners versus natives in Spain: different migration patterns? Any changes in the aftermath of the crisis?," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 61(1), pages 139-159, July.
    5. Ye Seul Choi & Up Lim, 2015. "Effects of Regional Creative Milieu on Interregional Migration of the Highly Educated in Korea: Evidence from Hierarchical Cross-Classified Linear Modeling," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(12), pages 1-18, December.
    6. Li, Haiyan, 2020. "Role of overseas ethnic and non-ethnic ties and firm activity in the home country in the internationalization of returnee entrepreneurial firms," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 26(1).
    7. Paola Rucker Schaeffer & Bruno Fischer & Sergio Queiroz, 2018. "Beyond Education: The Role of Research Universities in Innovation Ecosystems," Foresight and STI Governance (Foresight-Russia till No. 3/2015), National Research University Higher School of Economics, vol. 12(2), pages 50-61.
    8. Shen, Rui & Guo, Hai & Ma, Hongjia, 2023. "How do entrepreneurs' cross-cultural experiences contribute to entrepreneurial ecosystem performance?," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(2).
    9. Wentian Shi & Wenlong Yang & Debin Du, 2020. "The Scientific Cooperation Network of Chinese Scientists and Its Proximity Mechanism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-18, January.
    10. Paula Prenzel, 2021. "Are old regions less attractive? Interregional labour migration in a context of population ageing," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 100(6), pages 1429-1447, December.
    11. Chantal Oggenfuss & Stefan C. Wolter, 2019. "Are they coming back? The mobility of university graduates in switzerland [Kehren sie Zurück? Die Mobilität von Hochschulabsolventinnen und -Absolventen in der Schweiz]," Review of Regional Research: Jahrbuch für Regionalwissenschaft, Springer;Gesellschaft für Regionalforschung (GfR), vol. 39(2), pages 189-208, October.
    12. Lin, Jingyi & Plechero, Monica, 2019. "Global innovation networks for Chinese high tech small and medium enterprises: the supportive role of highly skilled migrants and returnees," Papers in Innovation Studies 2019/5, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    13. Hong, Wei & Su, Yu-Sung, 2013. "The effect of institutional proximity in non-local university–industry collaborations: An analysis based on Chinese patent data," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 454-464.
    14. Qin Han & Jennifer E Jennings & Runjuan Liu & P Devereaux Jennings, 2019. "Going home and helping out? Returnees as propagators of CSR in an emerging economy," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 50(6), pages 857-872, August.
    15. Yongli Tang & Kazuyuki Motohashi & Xinyue Hu & Angeles Montoro-Sanchez, 2020. "University-industry interaction and product innovation performance of Guangdong manufacturing firms: the roles of regional proximity and research quality of universities," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 578-618, April.
    16. Xie, Qijun & Su, Jun, 2021. "The spatial-temporal complexity and dynamics of research collaboration: Evidence from 297 cities in China (1985–2016)," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 162(C).
    17. Zhao‐hui Chong & Jia Liu, 2023. "The evolutionary patterns of intercity co‐invention networks in the Greater Pearl River Delta, China: A comparative analysis based on the technological intensity of industry," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 260-283, March.
    18. Chengliang Liu & Caicheng Niu & Ji Han, 2019. "Spatial Dynamics of Intercity Technology Transfer Networks in China’s Three Urban Agglomerations: A Patent Transaction Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-24, March.
    19. James, Amity & Rowley, Steven & Davies, Amanda & ViforJ, Rachel Ong & Singh, Ranjodh, 2021. "Population growth and mobility in Australia: implications for housing and urban development policies," SocArXiv zb5kc, Center for Open Science.
    20. Qin, Xionghe & Wang, Xueli & Kwan, Mei-Po, 2023. "The contrasting effects of interregional networks and local agglomeration on R&D productivity in Chinese provinces: Insights from an empirical spatial Durbin model," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 193(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:21:p:9210-:d:440560. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.