Towards a New Assessment of “Brain Drain”

Abstract

This paper focuses on the issue of migration of Latin American scientists, technicians and professionals, taking into account the theoretical framework applied to study the subject and summarizing the main assessments performed up to date.

Additionally, an own estimate of the number of Argentine scientists who have migrated to the USA is presented. This assessment is based on the figures submitted by both governmental and non-governmental agencies of that country. The process of brain drain, which has been an issue in the agendas of scientific and technological policies of Latin American countries since the sixties, acquires today a new importance. Nevertheless, and beyond the real concern throughout all these years, the different evaluations performed failed to determine an accurate method of measurement, with the non-infrequent result of deformations and overstatements in the figures given. This, on its time, constitutes an obstacle for the adequate perception of the problem. The intention of this article is to correct, partially at least, said inaccuracies, by means of the use of a new measurement system which uses the data given by SESTAT and USA’s Immigration and Naturalization Service, once applied the adjustments derived from our own assessment. In that way, the intention is to provide a figure closer to reality, which will enable a more correct assessment of the issue.