Saturday, June 01, 2013

In Praise of Michigan Brain Drain

Latest blog post up at Pacific Standard magazine.

Theme: Common misconceptions about brain drain.

Subject Article: "Detroit Chamber Study: More College Grads Staying In Michigan."

Other Links: 1. "Michigration is Misinformation."
2. "Why the Smartest People in the Midwest All Move To Chicago."
3. "Michigan Talent Economy."
4. "Stamen: Where Does the Money Go?"
5. "Brain drain: See what percentage of recent graduates leave Michigan, and why they relocate."

Postscript: Using Telestrian, I looked at the total change of people with a bachelors degree or higher (2000-2011) by state. Michigan gained over 290,000, which is good enough for 17th best in the entire country. In 2011, Michigan had the 13th most people with a college degree. That's a far cry from exceptionally bad brain drain. Better retention rates won't move the needle all that much. The superficial analysis coming from the Detroit Chamber is shoddy work.

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