Full Citation

Title: Micro Evidence of the Brain Gain Hypothesis: The Case of Cape Verde

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2009

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Abstract: Does emigration really drain human capital accumulation in origin countries? This paperexplores a unique household survey purposely designed and conducted to answer thisspecific question for the case of Cape Verde. This is allegedly the African country sufferingfrom the largest brain drain, despite also having a fast-growing stock of human capital. Ourmicro data enables us to propose a novel, explicit test of brain gain arguments accordingto which the possibility of own future emigration positively impacts educational attainmentin the origin country. The innovative empirical strategy we propose hinges on the idealcharacteristics of our survey, namely on full histories of migrants and on a new set ofexclusion restrictions. Our results point to a very substantial impact of the brain gainchannel on the educational attainment of those who do not emigrate. Alternative channels(namely remittances, family disruption, and general equilibrium effects at the local level)are also considered, but do not seem to play an important role. Our findings are robustto the choice of instruments and the empirical model.

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Vicente, Pedro; Lacuesta, Aitor; Batista, Catia

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Publication Number: 0902

Institution: Banco de Espana

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Publisher Location: Madrid, Spain

Data Collections: IPUMS USA, IPUMS International

Topics: Education, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Migration and Immigration

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