Brain drain refers to the situation where highly qualified and trained people leave a country permanently to settle in some other country. It is also referred as human capital flight. Highly educated professional people immigrate to other advanced countries for better opportunities and a comfortable life style. This can be harmful for the home country, as it loses valuable resources and talent.
The problem of brain drain, in our age, has become very exclusive. The developing countries like India, are desperately in need of talents, especially in the field of Science and Technology. But for one reason or the other the talented people are leaving their native lands and moving to other countries for more scope and opportunities.
Causes for brain drain:
In the underdeveloped countries like India, the ambitious and highly educated people find it very difficult to climb the peak, as there are many obstacles in their way to be successful. These obstacles may be lack of jobs, low salaries, or limited access to education and training. Hence, the alarming exodus started in the fifties and in the seventies, that is when the brain-drain began. Hundreds of talents emigrated to the U.S.A. and Europe which assured them of great opportunities for getting to the top, of secure and comfortable living, of satisfaction and of glory in their respective fields. But, the problem is that a developing country like India can hardly afford to accommodate so many ambitious people, nor can the scope be made broad enough to secure affluence for all.
Some of them, after training and experience in foreign countries, return home with individual dreams and when they fail to fit in with the evolving patterns at home, despair drives them away again. But, India needs these professionally trained people, so they should be persuaded to stay in India. All these people are among the fortunate few, enjoying the privilege of education, while most of Indians are not that rich to go to abroad and do the job there. The number of skilled migrants from poor to rich countries has increased dramatically over the last decades.
Another reason why people might choose to leave their home country is during war/conflict in order to escape violence and persecution. Others choose to leave in order to start anew somewhere else safe. People most likely choose to leave their home country if they are living in poverty or if they don’t have adequate housing or food. They may also feel unsafe due to political instability or crime rates.
Consequences of brain drain:
Brain drain is an extremely serious problem for developing countries. The destiny of such countries lies in the solution to this great problem. India can be taken as an instance in this point. After Independence, our country is engaged in a difficult struggle against poverty. But struggles cannot be launched in papers; they require armies of trained personnel, scientists, technical know-how and specialists in the field of planned development. Instead of contributing to the prosperity of India, the Indian scientists, research scholars, engineers, doctors and economists immigrate to other countries, it is difficult to see how India can implement its development plans and attain its goal of prosperity.
In many cases, brain drain can lead to a decline in economic growth within a country. This is because the best and brightest minds are leaving, which decreases innovation and productivity levels overall. Another most important effect is loss of tax revenue. As the large number of professionals leave their home country they take their skills with them. This decreases national revenue. This causes problems to government agencies since they might not have enough money for basic operations like education, shelter, clothing, etc.
Every country has its own version of brain drain. On top of these issues, the challenges faced by the migrants are often overlooked. Most of them struggle abroad in order to provide for their family. Global corporations take advantage of them by sending low income individuals abroad for poorly paid jobs. Unfortunately, there is not much can be done even though these issues are known to the public. The powerful people run amok the well being of the poor.
Conclusion:
In ancient times the scholars of one country visited neighbouring countries, and they often stayed there for years, both for learning and teaching. The great scholars of China, Persia and other scholars from the West, visited India during the prosperous days in the past and wrote memoirs of their time spent in India which are precious materials for Indian history. But these were not considered brain drain then. For when Hiuen Tsang, came to India or Silabhadra visited Tibet, staying there for many years, their absence from their own countries did not make much difference. On the contrary, their experiences and wisdom gained from their visits enriched the countries of those which they visited. Such exchanges benefited the countries in those days and built a bridge of understanding and amity when communication between even the neighbours was not easy.
Recent economic research has emphasised that although there are positive feedbacks resulting from skilled migrants participation in business networks, one also has to take into account the impact of migration prospects on human capital building in source countries.