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Title: Brain Drain to Brain Gain? Return Migration of Indian Information Technology Professionals
Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis
Publication Year: 2003
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Abstract: The Indian government and media have claimed that the so-called brain drain is becoming a brain gain for India, as Indian information technology (I.T.) professionals with U.S. experience return to India. This paper tests this claim through a case study of return migrants in Bangalore and Hyderabad, who migrated to the U.S. to work for at least one year and then returned to work in India either temporarily or permanently. Through interviews with return migrants, this study reveals their perceived benefits from their experience in the United States, and attempts to identify key impacts of these return migrants on the domestic I.T. industry, cities, and work environments. The hypothesis with which I began this study was that the return of this group of professionals brings increased financial capital, social capital, and most importantly increased human capital. I conclude however that the impact of this group has been exaggerated by the media and the Indian government. While the number of returning migrants has been increasing since the late 1990's, the absolute number is still relatively small, as is their impact on the work environment and the city. I argue that we need to differentiate return migrants into two groups: "return professionals" and "return entrepreneurs." Unlike return entrepreneurs, return professionals gain the same skills through their exposure to the I.T. industry in the United States, as those obtained by I.T. professionals based in India who travel to the United States for business purposes. The findings suggest that the current Indian government is erroneously privileging these return migrants over similarly skilled I.T. professionals who have not migrated to the United States.
Url: https://dspace.mit.edu/bitstream/handle/1721.1/70364/52973826-MIT.pdf?sequence=2
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Authors: Singh, Shinu
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department: City Planning
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Pages: 67
Data Collections: IPUMS CPS
Topics: Migration and Immigration
Countries: United States