Brain Gain

Brain gain—measured here as the number of foreign doctoral students in a country (lower left), and further as the percentage of a country’s doctoral students who are of foreign origin (lower right)—is a contentious issue. The decision by a large number of students to pursue their doctoral studies in a foreign country is a good measure of the research strength of the foreign country. However, the large influx of foreign doctoral students may lead policymakers in the recipient country to question why their native students are relatively poorly represented in advanced education. Further, policymakers may want to capture the value of the talent they have trained, and face the difficult balance of promoting the continued stay of foreign scientists while protecting domestic jobs. Reliance upon foreign researchers for crucial research can also introduce research independence and national security issues.

SOURCE: Education at a Glance 2009, OECD.