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A back-door brain drain

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  • Stark, Oded
  • Byra, Lukasz

Abstract

In this paper we study the impact of the international migration of unskilled workers on skill formation and the average skill level in the home country. We analyze what appears to be the least threatening scenario from the point of view of its effect on the supply of skills at home: namely, migration exclusively by unskilled workers. Somewhat surprisingly, we find that even without the departure of skilled workers, the home country suffers reduced aggregate skill formation. Although as a response to a higher wage rate per unit of human capital in the new equilibrium skilled workers choose to accumulate more human capital than before the opening up to migration of unskilled workers, the number and share of skilled workers in the home country's workforce fall. The combined effect is a decrease in the average level of human capital in the home country.

Suggested Citation

  • Stark, Oded & Byra, Lukasz, 2012. "A back-door brain drain," University of Tübingen Working Papers in Business and Economics 31, University of Tuebingen, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, School of Business and Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:tuewef:31
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stark, Oded & Helmenstein, Christian & Prskawetz, Alexia, 1997. "A brain gain with a brain drain," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 55(2), pages 227-234, August.
    2. Fan, C. Simon & Stark, Oded, 2007. "International migration and "educated unemployment"," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(1), pages 76-87, May.
    3. Steve Boucher & Oded Stark & J. Edward Taylor, 2009. "A Gain with a Drain? Evidence from Rural Mexico on the New Economics of the Brain Drain," International Economic Association Series, in: János Kornai & László Mátyás & Gérard Roland (ed.), Corruption, Development and Institutional Design, chapter 6, pages 100-119, Palgrave Macmillan.
    4. Kwok, Viem & Leland, Hayne, 1982. "An Economic Model of the Brain Drain," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(1), pages 91-100, March.
    5. Stark, Oded & Wang, Yong, 2002. "Inducing human capital formation: migration as a substitute for subsidies," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 29-46, October.
    6. Stark, Oded & Wang, Yong, 2002. "Inducing human capital formation: migration as a substitute for subsidies," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 86(1), pages 29-46, October.
    7. Robert E.B. Lucas, 2005. "International Migration and Economic Development," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3826.
    8. Stark, Oded & Helmenstein, Christian & Prskawetz, Alexia, 1998. "Human capital depletion, human capital formation, and migration: a blessing or a "curse"?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 60(3), pages 363-367, September.
    9. Katz, Eliakim & Stark, Oded, 1984. "Migration and Asymmetric Information: Comment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(3), pages 533-534, June.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Walter Hyll, 2018. "Relative concerns at the workplace: on the design of the firm as a social space," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 28(2), pages 245-264, April.
    2. Hung-Ju Chen & Xiangbo Liu, 2015. "International Migration, Skill Acquisition and Matching Frictions," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 35(3), pages 1469-1476.
    3. Michael Landesmann & Isilda Mara, 2016. "Massive Migration and its Effect on Human Capital and Growth: The Case of Western Balkan and Central and Eastern European Countries," wiiw Balkan Observatory Working Papers 124, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    4. Abdulloev Ilhom & Epstein Gil S. & Gang Ira N., 2020. "A Downside to the Brain Gain Story," Economics, Sciendo, vol. 8(2), pages 9-20, December.
    5. Abdulloev, Ilhom & Epstein, Gil S. & Gang, Ira N., 2019. "Schooling Forsaken: Education and Migration," IZA Discussion Papers 12088, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Michael Landesmann & Isilda Mara, 2021. "Interrelationships between Human Capital, Migration and Labour Markets in the Western Balkans: An Econometric Investigation," wiiw Working Papers 196, The Vienna Institute for International Economic Studies, wiiw.
    7. Bucheli, José R. & Fontenla, Matías & Waddell, Benjamin James, 2019. "Return migration and violence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 113-124.
    8. Koska, Onur A. & Saygin, Perihan Özge & Çağatay, Selim & Artal-Tur, Andrés, 2013. "International migration, remittances, and the human capital formation of Egyptian children," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 38-50.
    9. Abdulloev, Ilhom & Epstein, Gil S. & Gang, Ira N., 2020. "Job Status, International Migration and Educational Choice," GLO Discussion Paper Series 709, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    10. Daichi Yamada, 2018. "Negative selection migration and education investment: theoretical investigation on the roles of remittances and the prospect of migration," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 38(3), pages 1292-1301.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Migration of unskilled workers; Human capital formation; Depletion of human capital;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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