Comments on: Brain Circulation

By: Ram

Ram — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 08:20:41 +0000

Nice discussion, noticing it only now. There are quite a few (may be a few thousands) Indian (mostly) engineers that have returned from the US to India in the past few years. Interested folks can peruse the following forum that mainly discuss the topic of folks wanting to returning to India (r2i).

http://www.r2iclubforums.com

By: Chris Phippen

Chris Phippen — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:20:09 +0000

Leslie’s post about America needing to step up its game is so very true. Also, a level field would be a great thing to have because it would make everyone strive a little bit higher to meet, if not surpass, their goals. Having an over-all world-wide higher level of education and advancement would create a philosophical event of ‘the greater good.’ The world would be better off if say, India, China, and the US were equals, than if one were to completely top out the other in advancements and leaving the rest far, far behind.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:33:25 +0000

So it seems from the comments that I’ve read in response to this blog, is that people will go to where there’s an opportunity. This is reasonable. If you have a profession that can give you a certain standard of living in one country, and another country can give you a higher standard of living and greater wealth, why wouldn’t you go?

India in particular is courting professionals. If you are of Indian origin, you can get a visa for life. They’re trying to make it easy. I’m sure that not all Indians that go back to india will want to stay, I’m also sure many of them will…hence the stories related here.

I think this points to the challenge ahead of us in the US. We have to address the reason why people are going back. Opportunity…or lack thereof. We have to improve the chance of success for by improving our economy. We have to invest and help industries that have a future. Green Power, Green Technology like LED’s, Mass Transit, Infrastructure. The framework has exist to improve the economy. We’ve been too long resting on our laurels.

By: Leslie Mann

Leslie Mann — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:52:21 +0000

The world is better off if the playing field is more leveled and, as Zakaria notes in The Post American World, this is already happening. If America does not respond properly, it will be left in China and India’s dust. As the article and the video of reverse brain drain show, China and India are seeing an influx of native-born coming back to live and work because they view their home countries as offering more opportunity than America can. The ‘land of opportunity’ seems to be shifting to other side of the world. This is not necessarily a bad thing but one that will force America to step up, especially with our education system. I can’t help but note the difference in our grad students with those in India during the video teleconference with students from MET. Some of our graduate candidates have already experience lay-offs and seemed almost lucky to find a solid job when they graduate, especially at this time, but in India, many of the students had no fear for their future. They were confident there would be plenty of opportunity for them after graduation, and that opportunity was not in America, but right in their own backyard.

By: Michael Harroch

Michael Harroch — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:27:06 +0000

Brain circulation is always great when on the receiving end. However, it can be a great handicap for the “brain exporting” countries. The same phenomenon exists in France and is considered by both society and the government as a serious problem. France produces some of the greatest mathematicians and scientists in the world. However, very few of them stay in France, while most move to the United States. They cannot be blamed as salaries and funding for research are significantly larger in the United States. This also creates a vicious circle: the brightest minds immigrate, removing potential competitive advantages through innovation for French companies. In turn, they are less profitable and are thus unable to offer competitive salaries.

By: Jordan Wente

Jordan Wente — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:18:28 +0000

I think the brain circulation trend is great! I see it as global networking in a sense. The world is becoming flatter and pretty soon I think we can expect to see more people returning to their homeland. This is not necessarily a negative phenomenon. I think it is good for the rest of the world and potentially beneficial for the US as well.

The diversity welcomed into our schools gives us great experience in how to interact with people from various countries. As the world continues to become flat we will need all the experience we can get on building a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with individuals from foreign countries. Building and maintaining these relationships is the only way I see possible for American students to continue to be successful in the global economy. I think Zakaria may be right that the US needs to attract the brightest minds, who in turn succeed in our country. However, Its important to consider for every person returning to their home land there is a million more who would jump at the opportunity for an American education and the American dream.

I think we are also missing a valuable opportunity. Why can’t the US participate in brain circulation trend? The result would likely bring a diverse perspective and innovative ideas back to the United States. There is something to learn from each one of these fast developing countries. Isn’t that the reason for our trip to India? Why shouldn’t we embrace this trend of brain circulation and use it to our advantage? The world is changing, if we don’t dive in and move forward we will just be left in the dust.

By: Frederick Peemoeller

Frederick Peemoeller — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:01:14 +0000

9/11 brought this country together and united us to fight the war on terror. It seemed like a good idea to make immigration rules more stringent, but obviously there are repercussions. The US needs to rescind its strict immigration policies with the great minds of other countries to ensure that we continue to keep these “brains” in the country. We have booming technological companies such as Apple, Google, Research in Motion, and Microsoft that need these brains to continue to have success. This shows that there still is gold to be had in America, we just need to make it easier for others to obtain it.

By: Michael Minasian

Michael Minasian — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:02:34 +0000

The top talent will continue to come to America as long as they see an opportunity for prosperity. The problem is that our current situation is not so bright anymore. Given our downtrodden economy, I have to think that even the “chaotic” Indian economy is looking more and more enticing.

The biggest issue is the anti-business practices that our country has decided is hope for the future. If our country continues to stifle growth with regulation and taxation, the emerging economies which have much less of these things, and bigger opportunities for large scale returns, will have the unintended consequence of draining not only our business, but the talent that we have acquired.

By: Danielle Steussy

Danielle Steussy — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:11:56 +0000

Since America is giving all these countries the opportunity to prosper and grow, it won’t be too long before people start to move back to their home countries. We might even see Americans immigrating to other countries in the near future for career opportunities.

I don’t necessarily think that the “brain drain” gives the United States a sustainable competitive advantage because the playing field is being leveled out. However, it’s certainly not a bad situation for the United States to be in. For one, it gives the United States a good kick in the rear to start improving the domestic educational system to create an American workforce worthy of competing with those of other countries. Secondly, overall, I could see this seriously impacting our relationships with other countries, and very much in a positive way. The more that lines are blurred between countries and the more unified the global economy can become.

By: John Barry

John Barry — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:48:54 +0000

We’ve been very fortunate to experience this phenomena here in the U.S. since the immigrant population that made us so properous in yester-years, seemed to be traded in for immigrants with very low education levels and qualifications. Unfortunately I don’t foresee this trend continuing for much longer. Now that much of the world’s middle class populations is increasing, ours is doing the exact opposite. As many emerging nations are gaining momentum and experiencing growth superior to ours, it is much more likely that the talent in those countries will choose to seek success in their home country rather than venture overseas to take a gamble with payoffs possibly inferior to those at home. Much of the Brazilian community in Southern California actually started to move back to Brazil in numbers much greater than in years past. Turns out that homesickness is exacerbated when you have little professional success to show for your personal sacrifices.