Brain Drain” from Developing Nations
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th rd th 8 Campion School Model United Nations | 3 – 4 October 2020 Forum: Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Issue: Eliminating “brain drain” from developing nations. Student Officer: Maria Karatoliou Position: Deputy President Personal Introduction Dear Delegates, My name is Maria Karatoliou, I am a student in the 12th grade of the Anavryta Model Lyceum and it is my honor to serve as one of the Deputy Presidents of the Economic and Social Council on Eliminating “brain drain” from developing nations in the 8th session of CSMUN. I attended my first conference a little less than three years ago, and up to this day I have attended 10 conferences in total. The institution of Model UN has played an important role in my everyday life. What I find most intriguing about MUN conferences is that one gets to take action on global issues in one’s own hands, one has the opportunity to interact with completely different people from all over the world, and learn from them as they learn from said person. MUN helps people step out of their comfort zone therefore evolve themselves as they broaden their horizons and strengthen their sense of unity and solidarity. Therefore, I look forward to serving as Deputy President. I would like to remind you, that this study guide has been made to provide a comprehensive summary of most, yet not all, essential information on this topic, therefore you should make your own research in order to be fully informed about it. If you have any questions regarding this study guide, our topic, your delegation’s policy or the rules of procedure in general, do not hesitate to contact me via my email: [email protected] CSMUN | Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) th rd th 8 Campion School Model United Nations | 3 – 4 October 2020 With that being said, I would like to welcome you to the 8th CSMUN conference and assure you that it will be an unforgettable experience that you will look back to and cherish. I’m very much looking forward to meeting you all in October! Sincerely, Maria Karatoliou Topic Introduction Brain drain (also known as human capital flight's negative effects) , is the emigration of usually educated people from one country's economic sector, or field to another who usually offers greater opportunities, better pay and living conditions. The countries in which people emigrate, experience the benefits of the highly trained, foreign-born professionals entering, brain gain (positive effects of human capital flight). Brain drain occurs because of a number of factors such as political condition, standards 1 of living, employment and career opportunities and many more. When focusing on developing countries, brain drain can be a boon or a curse depending on the country’s characteristics and policy objectives, but it’s safe to say that for the developing countries the negatives outnumber the positives. 1 Darshit “Brain Drain.” LinkedIn SlideShare, 31 Oct. 2015, www.slideshare.net/darhit/brain-drain-54600214. CSMUN | Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) th rd th 8 Campion School Model United Nations | 3 – 4 October 2020 Brain drain leads to loss of investment on education and a fall in the standard of education, which later leads to loss of revenue, leadership crisis in the country, loss of skilled labor and general reduction of chances of development in the country. Some would ask how brain drain can have positive impacts when talking about developing countries. Brain drain could actually help maximize the income level, also it reduces international transaction costs, and generates benefits in source countries from returnees. Summing up, brain drain actually provides the developed nations educated and qualified human capital while at the same time degrades the socioeconomic development of developing nations. It has reached an all-time high and not enough actions have been taken to combat this issue. Prejudicing about 100 countries, it has become a serious case on the world scale and it should therefore be gazed at with all attention needed. 2 2“ Is the Brain Drain Phenomenon in the US Worse than Ever?” Quora, www.quora.com/Is-the-brain-drain-phenomenon-in-the-US-worse-than-ever CSMUN | Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) th rd th 8 Campion School Model United Nations | 3 – 4 October 2020 Definition of key terms Brain drain The loss of skilled intellectual and technical labor through the movement of such labor to more favorable geographic, economic, or professional 3 environments . Brain gain An increase in the number of highly trained, foreign-born professionals 4 entering a country to live and work where greater opportunities are offered. Human capital A measure of the skills, education, capacity and attributes of labor which 5 influence their productivity. Emigration The act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to 6 settle elsewhere. 3 “Human Capital Flight.” The Free Dictionary, Farlex, www.thefreedictionary.com/Human+capital+flight. 4 “Brain Gain.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/brain-gain#:~:text=brain%20gain.%20noun.%20an%20increas e%20in%20the%20number,live%20and%20work%20where%20greater%20opportunities% 20are%20offered. 5Pettinger, Tejvan, et al. “Human Capital Definition and Importance.” Economics Help, 28 Nov. 2019, www.economicshelp.org/blog/26076/economics/human-capital-definition-and-importance/. 6 “Emigration.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 14 June 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emigration CSMUN | Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) th rd th 8 Campion School Model United Nations | 3 – 4 October 2020 Immigration The process through which individuals become permanent residents or citizens of another country. The main difference between immigration and emigration is that immigration focuses on the act of entering a country 7 whereas emigration refers to the act of leaving the country. Developing countries Countries with a less developed industrial base and a low Human 8 Development Index (HDI) . Developed countries Countries that have a developed economy and advanced technological 9 infrastructure relative to other less industrialized nations. Reverse Brain Drain Form of brain drain where professionals move from a more developed 10 country to a less developed country. 7 “Immigration.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 16 July 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration 8 “Developing Country.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 6 July,en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_country 9 “Developed Country.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 July 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developed_country 10“Reverse Brain Drain.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 29 May 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_brain_drain CSMUN | Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) th rd th 8 Campion School Model United Nations | 3 – 4 October 2020 Background Information PART A: Brain drain through history Each year there are over 180.000 well-educated individuals leaving their country of origin due to a poor job market or oppressive social conditions. In the year 2000, 65 million people were economically active outside their own country and 11 over 60% of them were classed as ‘high-skilled’. This human capital flight, also known as ‘Brain Drain’, has been a rising issue for many developing countries. 12 Although the emigration of the leaving professionals has provided skilled individuals to the receiving country, also known as ‘Brain Gain’, it is commonly known that the developed countries do not need the rise of skilled labor as much as the developing countries. However, in some cases human capital flight has some benefits for the countries of origin due to remittances and return migration of individuals that have seen a growth in skills. Brain drain as a term was first coined by the Royal Society to describe scientists and educated labor leaving war-torn Europe and immigrating to North America. Serious concerns came in the early-90s after the fall of the Soviet Union when a huge brain drain started from the Eastern European countries and since then brain drain has been present all around the world. 11 “The Brain Drain from Developing Countries.” IZA World of Labor, 2014, https://wol.iza.org/uploads/articles/31/pdfs/brain-drain-from-developing-countries.pdf 12Staying after School. 2010, https://trak.in/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/Reverse_Brain_Drain.gif CSMUN | Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) th rd th 8 Campion School Model United Nations | 3 – 4 October 2020 Developing countries have been facing extensive human capital flight, since increased globalization created more ease and prevalence of migration. Brain drain can be divided in two main categories Internal brain drain When a professional leaves his profession and pursues a profession in a different, usually more lucrative labor sector .For example a teacher leaves his profession and joins a more lucrative establishment such as the banking industry. External brain drain When a professional leaves his country to live and work in a foreign country which usually offers him better job opportunities. External brain drain is the most common type in developing countries and is the main focus of this study guide. External brain drain also includes two different categories of brain drain, geographic and organizational. Geographic brain drain happens when talented professionals flee one country or region within a country in favor of another due to environmental issues or unsafe areas they find themselves in. Whereas, organizational or industrial brain drain concerns the mass exodus of talented workers from a company, often because they sense instability, a lack of opportunity within the company, or they may feel that they can achieve their career goals more easily at another company. PART B: Push and Pull factors of brain drain Brain drain usually occurs due to a variety of factors that we can divide in to push and pull factors. Push factors are those that force people to leave a country and pull are those that make them want to move there.