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Does International Mobility of High-Skilled Workers Aggravate Between-Country Inequality ?

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  • Grossmann, Volker
  • Stadelmann, David

Abstract

This paper analyzes the interaction of international migration of high-skilled labor and relative wage income between source and destination economies of expatriates. We develop an overlapping-generations model with increasing returns which suggests that international integration of the market for skilled labor aggravates between-country inequality by harming those which are source economies to begin with while benefiting host economies. The result is robust to allowing governments to optimally adjust productivity-enhancing investments which could potentially attenuate brain drain. Optimal public investment tends to decrease in response to higher emigration.

Suggested Citation

  • Grossmann, Volker & Stadelmann, David, 2010. "Does International Mobility of High-Skilled Workers Aggravate Between-Country Inequality ?," FSES Working Papers 416, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Freiburg/Fribourg Switzerland.
    • Handle: RePEc:fri:fribow:fribow00416
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    Cited by:

    1. Giesing, Yvonne & Laurentsyeva, Nadzeya, 2016. "Emigration and Firm Productivity: Evidence from the Sequential Opening of EU Labour Markets," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145850, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    2. Volker Grossmann & Andreas Schäfer & Thomas Steger, 2013. "Migration, Capital Formation, and House Prices," CESifo Working Paper Series 4146, CESifo.
    3. Harald Fadinger & Karin Mayr, 2014. "Skill-Biased Technological Change, Unemployment, And Brain Drain," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 397-431, April.
    4. Patrice Pieretti & Giuseppe Pulina & Skerdilajda Zanaj, 2024. "Fiscal competition and two-way migration," BCL working papers 183, Central Bank of Luxembourg.
    5. Patrice Pieretti & Giuseppe Pulina & Andreas Sintos & Skerdilajda Zanaj, 2024. "Fiscal Competition and Migration Patterns," DEM Discussion Paper Series 24-04, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    6. Volker Grossmann & David Stadelmann, 2012. "Does High-skilled Migration Affect Publicly Financed Investments?," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(5), pages 944-959, November.
    7. Frédéric Docquier & Hillel Rapoport, 2012. "Globalization, Brain Drain, and Development," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 50(3), pages 681-730, September.
    8. Yvonne Giesing & Nadzeya Laurentsyeva, 2017. "Firms Left Behind: Emigration and Firm Productivity," CESifo Working Paper Series 6815, CESifo.
    9. Volker Grossmann & David Stadelmann, 2013. "Wage Effects of High-Skilled Migration: International Evidence," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 27(2), pages 297-319.
    10. Harald Fadinger & Karin Mayr, 2014. "Skill-Biased Technological Change, Unemployment, And Brain Drain," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 397-431, April.
    11. Gautam, Durga P., 2021. "Does international migration impact economic institutions at home?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    12. Jana Schmutzler & Veneta Andonova & Jonathan Perez-Lopez, 2021. "The role of diaspora in opportunity-driven entrepreneurial ecosystems: A mixed-methods study of Balkan economies," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 17(2), pages 693-729, June.
    13. Cardella, Eric & Kalcheva, Ivalina & Shang, Danjue, 2018. "Financial markets and genetic variation," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 64-89.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Brain drain ; Between-country wage differences ; Public investment ; Total factor productivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • O30 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - General
    • H40 - Public Economics - - Publicly Provided Goods - - - General

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