Lowell

“For those who oppose labour migration to the UK and Europe, the potential for brain drain has become a useful political stick with which to beat those who want to see access to the world’s most successful labour markets opened up to those who live outside them.”1


Prefer the term “brain strain” to “brain drain” as it emphasises the two-way nature of the process.2

See international migration as an integral part of globalization and economic development and that things can be managed to be beneficial for both countries involved.3

Claims that Brazil would benefit from a higher level of increased skill emigration, as this would help stimulate higher education study.4


basic theory is that Brain strain will slow down the economic development of developing countries unless the following are promoted (1) managed migration, promoting temporary and circular migration (2) policies to increase the influence of the diaspora on home country through the transfer of knowledge and skills, remittances and investment (3) promotion of democracy and institutions, especially educational, in the sending country.5

1H Crawley & D Sriskandarajah “Preface” in B Lowell, A Findlay & E Stewart, Brain Strain: Optimising High Skilled Migration from Developing Countries, Asylum and Migration Working Paper 3, (London: IPPR, 2004) 3–4, 3.

2B Lowell, A Findlay & E Stewart, Brain Strain: Optimising High Skilled Migration from Developing Countries, Asylum and Migration Working Paper 3, (London: IPPR, 2004) 6.

3B Lowell, A Findlay & E Stewart, Brain Strain: Optimising High Skilled Migration from Developing Countries, Asylum and Migration Working Paper 3, (London: IPPR, 2004) 6.

4B Lowell, A Findlay & E Stewart, Brain Strain: Optimising High Skilled Migration from Developing Countries, Asylum and Migration Working Paper 3, (London: IPPR, 2004) 11.

5B Lowell, A Findlay & E Stewart, Brain Strain: Optimising High Skilled Migration from Developing Countries, Asylum and Migration Working Paper 3, (London: IPPR, 2004) 13.

Castles and Miller

"The question is whether democratic states can in the long run successfully operate with a population differentiated into full citizens, quasi-citizens and foreigners."¹ (40)

believe that the nature of citizenship will change and the link to one nation state become more tenuous² (40)

o

"these rapid changes in global economic and political relationships have had dramatic effects in Africa, Asia and Latin America...many countries are marked by rapid population growth, overuse and destruction of natural resources, uncontrolled urbanization, political instability, falling living standards, poverty and even famine."³ (77-78)

o

"Much migration of qualified personnel is from less-developed to highly-developed countries...The "brain drain" can represent a serious loss of skilled personnel and training resources for the poorer countries. On the other hand, many of the migrants were unable to find work in their home countries. Their remittances may be seen as a benefit, and many return eventually with additional training and experience, which can facilitate technology transfer." ⁴(88)

o

"Illegal migration is, by definition, a product of the laws made to control migration."⁵ (90)

"Official views on illegal immigration changed dramatically as economic conditions worsened, unemployment increased and anti-immigrant political movements began to attract support." ⁶(91)

"growing agreement that entry restrictions could have only limited success."⁷ (93)

International cooperation to abate migration to Europe: (1) trade liberalization (2) direct investment (3) foreign aid ⁸(95-96)

o

"probably the single most important factor behind the rise in emigration from the Latin American and Caribbean countries has been the declining level of economic performance."⁹ (151)

o

OECD conference on Migration. (1986)..reasons for increasing alien employment:

"the ageing of Western Societies, demographic imbalances between developed and developing regions in close proximity to each other, the North-South gap, continuing employer demand for foreign labour and the growth of illegal migration."¹⁰ (169)

"many of the exploding cities of Asia and Latin America become way stations on the road to urban centres in industrial democracies."¹¹ (172)

1S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 40.

2S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 40.

3S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 77–78.

4S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 88.

5S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 90.

6S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 91.

7S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 93.

8S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 95–96.

9S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 151.

10S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 169.

11S. Castles & M. Miller, The Age of Migration: International Population Movements in the Modern World, (London: Macmillan, 1993) 172.