Brain drain

Two new books (both free online) look at the impact of ‘brain drain’ on development, and agree that the loss of skilled workers may be trapping the least developed countries in poverty. This 'loss' is often particularly damaging to private sector development.

• International Remittances, Migration and the Brain Drain, World Bank, October 2005
• The Global Migration of Talent: What Does it Mean for Developing Countries?, Center for Global Development, October 2005

Many debates still surround how to calculate the impact of migration, let alone what to do about it. For a good summary of the issues see this article in today’s New York Times or the World Bank’s Migration and Development Program.

Update 1: More provocative commentary and feedback over at Daniel Drezner.

Update 2: Also, an audio interview with Maurice Schiff, co-editor of the WB report.

Update 3: Ethan Zuckerman on the medical brain drain from Africa.

Update 4: New WBI K4D site on Diasporas of Highly Skilled and Migration of Talent.