Spatial mobility in elite academic institutions in economics: the case of Spain

Raquel Carrasco,Javier Ruiz-Castillo

doi:10.1007/s13209-019-0189-5

Abstract

Using a dataset of 3540 economists working in 2007 in 125 of the best academic centers in 22 countries, this paper presents some evidence on spatial mobility patterns in Spain and other countries conditional on some personal, department, and country characteristics. There are productivity and other reasons for designing a scientific policy with the aims of attracting foreign talent (brain gain), minimizing the elite brain drain, and recovering nationals who have earned a Ph.D. or have spent some time abroad (brain circulation). Our main result is that Spain has more brain gain, more brain circulation and less brain drain than comparable large, continental European countries, i.e., Germany, France, and Italy, where economists have similar opportunities for publishing their research in English or in their own languages. We suggest that these results can be mostly explained by the governance changes introduced in a number of Spanish institutions in 1975–1990 by a sizable contingent of Spanish economists coming back home after attending graduate school abroad. These initiatives were also favored by the availability of resources to finance certain research-related activities, including international Ph.D. programs.

Highlights

IntroductionPart of the success achieved by US institutions must be attributed to scholars born or having obtained a first college degree in other countries, giving rise to what Hunter et al (2009) call the elite brain drain.2
Using large bibliographic databases with information about the characteristics of documents appearing in the periodical literature, it has been established that, in all sciences, there is a heavy concentration of the most productive and influential researchers in top US research institutions.1 part of the success achieved by US institutions must be attributed to scholars born or having obtained a first college degree in other countries, giving rise to what Hunter et al (2009) call the elite brain drain.2This observation leads us to the subject matter of this paper, namely the role of geographic mobility in the organization of science
Using a dataset of 3540 economists working in 2007 in 125 of the best academic centers in 22 countries, this paper presents some evidence on spatial mobility patterns in Spain and other countries conditional on some personal, department, and country characteristics

Summary

Introduction

Part of the success achieved by US institutions must be attributed to scholars born or having obtained a first college degree in other countries, giving rise to what Hunter et al (2009) call the elite brain drain.2 This observation leads us to the subject matter of this paper, namely the role of geographic mobility in the organization of science. We study the spatial mobility of 3540 economists working in 2007 in 125 economics departments and research centers in 22 countries. These 125 centers are selected among the best in each country according to the Econphd (2004) ranking of institutions and other considerations These 125 centers are selected among the best in each country according to the Econphd (2004) ranking of institutions and other considerations (see Sect. 2.1 on the selection of sample countries and departments)

Objectives

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion