Migration, Reverse Migration and Tech Transfer

1
Migration, Reverse Migration and Tech Transfer

• SOSC 228

2

• Uneven economic development lead to migration
  within East Asia, across regions, and within
  countries
• Migration a transnational issue, as flows can
  have major impact on sending and receiving
  countries.
• Asia initial loser in outmigration, particularly
  brain drain, with Western countries as major
  beneficiaries.
• Governments can affect the flows of human
  population.
• Human capital flows closely linked to technology
  transfer.
• East Asia, including India, now benefiting from
  reverse migration and investment by migrants into
  their home country.

3
1. Migration Patterns

• Result of uneven economic development as migrants
  seek higher salaries, better living conditions,
  better education opportunities.
• LOOK AT THE MAP

CLICK
4
1. Migration Patterns (cont)

• a. Inter-regional flows
• Most migration to Middle Eastproblems for
  Philippina workers
• Political instability or uncertainty key force
  pushing people out, as in case of Hong Kong
  pre-1997
• Some South American migration to Japan
• Temporary contract labour migrationbrings
  remittances, which can be of great importance to
  developing economies (see table).
• Reverse migration of talented and trained
  migrants from host country to home
  countrynot on map

CLICK
5
1. Migration Patterns (cont)

• b. Intra-regional Migration
• War refugeesIndochina crisis of 1975-79, can
  create major unrest and border conflicts
• Short-term economic migrants seeking higher
  salariesoutflows from Philippines, China, and
  Indonesia to Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and
  Taiwan.
• Problem in developed economies of East Asia,
  particularly Japan, of aging population--leads to
  need for labour migration, but states can resist
  allowing long-term immigration.
• East Asia crisis triggered massive movement of
  Indonesians out of Malaysia

6
1. Migration Patterns (cont)

• c. Internal Migration
• increased productivity in the countryside frees
  up labour force looking for higher wages.
• urbanization due to migration creates
  environmental problems in cities
• infrastructural projects necessitate population
  resettlementdifficult problem to manage
  successfully. Example of Three Gorges Dam
• Overpopulation, loss of arable land,
  desertification, led to massive population
  movements in search of places to make a living.
• As many as 100 million farmers on the move in
  China in search of jobs

7
2. Migration impact on Host and Home Countries

• Enormous benefits to US, Canadian and Australian
  economy, in terms of monies spent, talent
  acquired
• Canadian subsidies of Asians who then relocate to
  U.S.Canada seen as route to U.S.
• Resolves population pressures in home country,
  but can lead to loss of talent if migrants are
  university educated.
• Some equilibrium point attained when home
  country economy reaches developmental stage to
  trigger reverse migration

8
3. Government Policies and Impact

• Racist government anti-immigration policies
• Political instability, government caused famine
  can trigger outflowmajor flows out of North
  Korea
• War as major impetus for migration
• Governments can restrict ouflow through passport
  controls
• Government policies can resist inbound migration,
  such as Hong Kongs policy against mainland
  migrants, or allowing Filipinos to take on
  certain jobs, or Australias
• Family reunification major force for migration
• Governments, such as Canada, using point system
  to attract only skilled labour

9
4. Brain Drain and Reverse Brain Drain

• Level of outflow very high despite Chinese
  political system
• See Graduate Students Studying Abroad
• Education as migration strategymany who go out
  do not plan to return

CLICK
10
4. Brain Drain and Reverse Brain Drain (cont)

• Level of outflow very high despite Chinese
  political system
• SEE VIEWS ABOUT RETURNING TO CHINA
• Why people might go abroad and not return
• push factors out of home country and pull
  factors in host country
• Push factors include political insecurity, poor
  working conditions and lack of quality equipment
  in home country, lack of recognition for
  educatedOTHERS?

CLICK
11
4. Brain Drain and Reverse Brain Drain (cont)

• Level of outflow very high despite Chinese
  political system
• Pull factors in Western societies include better
  recognition of talent, improved quality of life
  or status for women, government policies based on
  demand for cheap, technically trained graduate
  students, university funding for overseas
  students,
• See Table Why a person might not return to China

CLICK
12
4. Brain Drain and Reverse Brain Drain (cont)

• Reverse Migration
• New phenomenon in East Asia since the 1980s, with
  different countries or regions undergoing reverse
  migration at different stages of economic
  development
• Taiwan experiences this in 1980s.
• Hong Kong businessmen return to make money in
  China but families remain in Canadaemergence of
  astronauts
• Koreans refused to return until end of military
  dictatorship, but children have difficult time
  adjusting.

13
4. Brain Drain and Reverse Brain Drain (cont)

• Reverse Migration
• Chinese reverse migration has emerged since late
  1990sdemocratization has not been necessary.
• Growth of MNCs interest in doing business in East
  Asiamany internal transfers within companies.
• Hong Kong major beneficiary of desire for access
  to China but people not willing to live in China.

14
4. Brain Drain and Reverse Brain Drain (cont)

• Why Reverse Migration Chinese Case
• See Table comparing returnees and non-returnees
  in development zones
• Driven by opportunities in home country, as
  migrants develop skills that are in short supply
  in their home countryotherwise they would not
  have gone overseas.

CLICK
15
4. Brain Drain and Reverse Brain Drain (cont)

• Why Reverse Migration Chinese Case
• Government incentives to bring people or their
  technology back to the home country.
• Control over new technologies can bring great
  profits in home economy, especially if linked
  with cheaper labour at home
• Cultural component cultural comfort and glass
  ceiling in Western society
• Aging parents
• Reference now to brain circulation rather than
  brain drain.

16
4. Brain Drain and Reverse Brain Drain (cont)

• Benefits of Reverse Migration
• Technology transfer and foreign investment
• see Table on quality of technology
• Role of networks established between East Asian
  country and the West
• Key role of Silicon Valley (see Saxenian)
• Role of democratization unclear

17
Major migration patterns in early 1990s
BACK
18
Migrant-worker remittances in relation to GNP
export earnings
BACK
19
Number of graduate students studying abroad
their rates of return, 1952-99
BACK
20
Views about returning to China
NEXT
21
Intentions about studying in the US before
leaving China
NEXT
22
Trust in government policy about freedom to study
abroad after returning
BACK
23
Why a person might not return to China
BACK
24
Comparing returnees and non-returnees in
development zones
BACK