Thursday, November 20, 2014

Brain Drain Is Economic Development

What I mean when I write "brain drain is economic development" at Pacific Standard magazine.

Theme: Migration and economic development.

Subject Article: "A Cuban Brain Drain, Courtesy of the U.S."

Other Links: 1. "Big cities are dominating the recovery, leaving the rest of America behind."
2. "Cuba’s Talent Export Strategy."
3. "Dublin: the tiger’s roaring tech hub."
4. "Ireland to phase out tax break used by technology firms."
5. "Innovation nation: Show us the money before it's too late."
6. "A Global Role for Universities: Helping Firms Boost Exports."
7. "Era of Dying Places."

Postscript: Brain drain is a firm concern. For example, consider workforce development:

Ireland has been ranked in 6th place among 60 countries in terms of its ability to develop, attract and retain talent for companies. It is also placed in 13th spot in a separate poll on the best places in the world to do business. ... 
... “The best-ranked countries have a balanced approach between their commitment to education, investment in developing local talent, and their ability to attract overseas talent,” said Prof Arturo Bris, director of the IMD World Competitiveness Center. “Countries with smart talent strategies are also highly agile in developing policies that improve their talent pipeline.”

For talent, migration is brain gain. For companies, migration is a loss of intellectual property. Workforce development programs share the view of companies. Talent is developed for the benefit of local companies. In this sense, the interests of business are at odds with the interests of talent. Countries that are pro-business are necessarily anti-talent. Workforce development is nothing more than a public subsidy for private businesses. That's a rotten policy.

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