Human Capital Flight, or the Luxury of Indifference?

• Author: Rose-Marie Puscaciu, Viorica Puscaciu
• Pages: 191-199

ISSN: 2067 – 9211 Performance and Risks in the European Economy

191

Human Capital Flight, or the Luxury of Indifference?

Rose-Marie Pușcaciu1, Viorica Pușcaciu2

Abstract: This paper is meant to point out the phenomenon of loosing human capital, which became a

characteristic aspects of the poor countries, that affects more and more their economy, in the favour of the

developed countries. Even if this is a corollary of the globalization process, but the future for the developing

countries will be not a good one, because of this exodus of brains; and even thi s is what our study is meant.

The present approach is brought into light by qualitative means of observance, survey and study-case. The

results of t his research is quite a worrying situation for the donor countries, presenting the huge dimension,

together with its economic and social consequences. Our paper could be useful both for the governments of

these countries of origin, but also for researchers, academics and s tudents. We hope that the readers will

appreciate this attempt of awareness about the gravity of this situation and of its consequences for our country

and remaining people here.

Keywords: international labor migration; brain drain; donor country; migration

JEL Classification: F22; J61; J24; O15

Motto: “The empires of the future will be true empires of the mind”

Winston Churchill

1. Introduction

The movement of skilled workers internationally represents brain gain for the countries that reap their

skills and experience and a brain drain for their countries of origin. On the brain gain side of the divide

countries increasingly are looking to position their immigration policies to attract the types of

international workers and students whose skills they desire. On the brain drain side, the development

impacts of losing educated workers are being assessed in immigrant-sending and receiving countries

alike as the research presented here shows.

The expression of brain drain dates back to the 1960’s, when it r eferred strictly to the phenomenon of

losing high-skilled labor in poor countries. Over time, different scholars have developed various

concepts about this phenomenon, but have nevertheless retained the essential meaning of migrating the

intellectual population from underdeveloped countries to highly industrialized ones. Brain Drain is one

of the most disputed phenomena when it comes to the economy of a country. Even in Romanian

1 Senior Lecturer, PhD, Danubius University of Galati, Romania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd., Galati 800654, Romania, Tel.:

+40372361102, E-mail: rosemarie.puscaciu@univ-danubius.ro.

2 Professor, PhD, Danubius University of Galati, Romania, Address: 3 Galati Blvd., Galati 800654, Romania, Tel.:

+40372361102, E-mail: vioricapuscaciu@univ-danubius.ro.