Does international mobility of high-skilled workers aggravate between-country inequality?

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Development Economics
Year: 2011
Volume: 95
Issue: 1
Pages: 88-94

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper analyzes the interaction of international migration of high-skilled labor and relative wage income between source and destination economies of expatriates. We develop an overlapping-generations model with increasing returns which suggests that international integration of the market for skilled labor aggravates between-country inequality by harming those which are source economies to begin with while benefiting host economies. The result is robust to allowing governments to optimally adjust productivity-enhancing investments which could potentially attenuate brain drain. Optimal public investment tends to decrease in response to higher emigration.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:deveco:v:95:y:2011:i:1:p:88-94
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25