Discussion Subject of the Week 5th - 9th of May

Causes of Brain Drain

From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_drain

A brain drain or human capital flight is an emigration of trained and talented individuals ("human capital") to other nations, due to conflicts, lack of opportunity, health hazards where they are living or other reasons. Brain drain can occur either when individuals who study abroad and complete their education do not return to their home country, or when individuals educated in their home country emigrate for higher wages or better opportunities. The second form is arguably worse, because it drains more resources from the home country.
This phenomenon is perhaps most problematic for developing nations, where it is widespread. In these countries, higher education and professional certification are often viewed as the surest path to escape from a troubled economy or difficult political situation.

"TURKEY DOES NOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF LOSING ITS QUALIFIED YOUNG PEOPLE"
From: http://www.elegans.com.tr/arsiv/55/mektup.html

Unemployment which is the most important problem created by the economic crisis in Turkey has started to threaten our future. The unemployed include not only unqualified workers but also many well-educated university graduates who come from especially finance and media and who are integrated with the world; theirs numbers increase significantly on a daily basis. This sad reality also makes it impossible for new university graduates to find jobs.

The world is undergoing a very rapid change due to globalization and technological developments. Not being a part of this change for even a day creates significant costs. Therefore, in this period when we need to seize the opportunities and positive effects created by these sweeping changes and to move along with these changes, the unemployment of university- educated, contemporary, experienced and qualified individuals who speak foreign languages is a great blow to the future of Turkey in that they are the main power to trigger change.

Another point to take into consideration is the fact that if these individuals continue to be unemployed for another two years due to the economic crisis, they will become unqualified workers because of the rapid changes around the world. Turkey does not have the luxury of making these individuals who were educated at great cost and with great sacrifices redundant in two years time, as it is the case with computers. Turkey has taken some saving measures in the financial aspects of the public and private sectors within the framework of the Program for Transition to a Strong Economy; likewise it should immediately take the necessary measures to save its qualified young people whom Turkey has always trusted and been proud of, who are very attractive for rapidly aging EU countries, and who represent Turkey's future.


BRAIN DRAIN HITS TURKEY HARD, Wednesday, June 6, 2007

From: http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=75014

Brain drain is becoming a problem not only for developing countries but also for developed ones. The increasing mobility of labor resulting from globalization and integration projects such as the European Union are possible cause for educated people to move from their home countries to other locations that offer better jobs and living conditions.

For instance, Canada, a developed country, loses many of its educated minds to the United States. However, Canada is able to compensate this lack with the immigrants that come from developing countries. However, developing countries do not have the option of attracting a qualified labor force to replace that which they lose to developed countries.

When compared to their overall population, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Australia are the top three OECD countries on the recipient end of the brain drain phenomenon. The United States comes in over the OECD average for the percentage of educated people born abroad. Specifically in the world of technology, in the United States more than 10 percent of engineers, one fourth of doctors and nearly half of information technology (IT) experts are immigrants.

Conversely, South Korea, Japan, Mexico, Finland, Slovakia, Hungary and Turkey are the countries with the most people emigrating to other OECD countries. Among the causes of brain drain (i.e. reasons for leaving one's own country) are high rates of unemployment, social inequality, lower incomes, high tax rates, political instability and lower standards of living.

Turkey is also behind the OECD average and below half the world's average in terms of the share of gross national product (GNP) allocated to education. Young people who choose to study abroad for a better education as a result of the low quality in education in Turkey are not returning.

Professor Melda Cinman Şimşek
Dean, Marmara University Faculty of Communication

"In our world of a global economy, lower incomes resulting from unemployment is the most important cause of brain drain. It is a major loss for countries when their educated labor force emigrates abroad, and therefore no longer contributes to the development of their respective countries. The responsibility for a solution lies not only on the shoulders of the governments but also on the businesses with the potential to provide convenient employment conditions. Turkey's big business has to stop depending on foreign capital and has to build large industrial facilities, factories, etc.

The government also has to fulfill its duty in order to secure future earnings. Our country needs strategic planning, new jobs and fair social policies. Not only the educated, but everyone has the right to live in humane conditions."

Professor Aysıt Tansel
Middle East Technical University, Economics Department

"Brain drain has very negative consequences for the Turkish economy and education system. Students who go abroad to study are settling in those countries and are not coming back, even though they are expected to return and contribute to Turkey's need for educated teaching staff. Turkey has a deep need for education staff in every region. If scholarships are given for short periods and the government provides a rich environment for research and development by subsidizing research and development projects, the loss of educated staff could be mitigated."

BRAIN DRAIN FROM TURKEY : THE CASE OF PROFESSIONALS ABROAD
Nil Demet Güngör and Aysıt Tansel, Feb, 2007
From: http://www.tek.org.tr/dosyalar/TANSEL-GUNGOR-TM.pdf

The demand for higher education partly reflects the value families place on university education as a means for achieving social mobility and prestige. As well, the expectation of greater monetary returns (greater job opportunities and higher pay) also provides a strong incentive for investing in university education.

Because of the inability of higher education system in Turkey to absorb the demand for higher education, many students choose to study abroad. A great majority are private students who go with their own means or are financed by their families. In addition, many students are sent overseas by the government on scholarships in order to train for positions in public institutions as well as both state and private universities. They are expected to return and contribute to the development of Turkey after completing their studies.

Unfortunately, even when there is a compulsory service requirement attached to the state scholarships, there is no guarantee of return; about 15 percent of those who have stopped receiving the Higher Education Council’s scholarships have not returned (YÖK, 2005).