Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

[Sapiens]

http://www.smartplanet.com/business/...ing-home/2764/

Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

Over the past several decades, many talented professionals and business leaders made their way to the United States, and Silicon Valley in particular, building companies that drove a range of new technologies and innovations into the market. However, that influx of talent is sputtering and reversing itself. Should we be concerned?

Many members of the incoming generation of talent see their home turf — particularly China and India — as the place to stay and make their marks. Vivek Wadhwa, a brilliant entrepreneur and academician, recently voiced concern in an article in TechCrunch about the growing “reverse brain drain,” in which talented people drawn to Silicon Valley are increasingly flowing back to their countries of origin.

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Not news to iTulip readers.

[Serge_Tomiko]

Re: Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

I've always found the argument for open borders ridiculous.

One need merely survey the world and recognize that 1) there are far more people than there are jobs due to modern technology and 2) modern technology has failed to improve the standard of living of the world's population by any appreciable degree.

It doesn't really matter what the best and the brightest do. We will continue to rape this planet, struggle over diminishing natural resources, all the while the vast majority of the masses struggle to live a meaningful life in the face of cultural depredation and spiritual nihilism.

The argument for open borders ideology is fundamentally flawed as it presumes that the growth model of modern usurious economics has 1) benefited mankind and 2) it's continuation is desirable as a matter of fact.

[MulaMan]

Re: Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

The argument for open borders ideology is fundamentally flawed as it presumes that the growth model of modern usurious economics has 1) benefited mankind and 2) it's continuation is desirable as a matter of fact.

No it does not.

Constant growth (in terms of GDP) is not the only economic model and not the economic model supported by many of those the support open borders.

[flintlock]

Re: Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

No it does not.

Constant growth (in terms of GDP) is not the only economic model and not the economic model supported by many of those the support open borders.

Maybe not, but it is the economic model supported by THOSE IN CHARGE.

[iyamwutiam]

Re: Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

I've always found the argument for open borders ridiculous.

One need merely survey the world and recognize that 1) there are for more people than there are jobs due to modern technology and 2) modern technology has failed to improve the standard of living of the world's population by any appreciable degree.

It doesn't really matter what the best and the brightest do. We will continue to rape this planet, struggle over diminishing natural resources, all the while the vast majority of the masses struggle to live a meaningful life in the face of cultural depredation and spiritual nihilism.

The argument for open borders ideology is fundamentally flawed as it presumes that the growth model of modern usurious economics has 1) benefited mankind and 2) it's continuation is desirable as a matter of fact.

I am seriously forced to disagree. I do feel that compared to only 30 years ago -the individuals on this planet with cellphones -is even much more than bicycles -30 years ago. So I think that technology has fulfilled its duty to its creators. It has made life easier in many many ways for umpteen billions of people.

The core of the argument in my belief is Intellectual property. For centuries it was shared and then it grew to be hegemonized through tremendous subsidies disguised as research institutions/ think tanks/ corporate R&D , private R&D (see the Nozette case), Universities etc.


These drew the top .0001 percent of the brains to the US and as such was a transfer of intellectual property. The rest that followed were at the very least .1 percent of the population. This is why -so many (recent) immigrants do so well. These are not boatloads of labor but in fact generational , cultural repositories of knowledge that you are attracting and retaining. Whatever the ruse -corporate jobs, post-doc positions, 'research', etc. The hand in glove of this Government-Educational-Defense- Corporate R&D -most importantly applies to an overwhelming commitment to full spectrum dominance -and that comes mainly from many unwitting intelligentsia/intellectuals and young bright people who maintain this and invigorate it from abroad -such as Russians/Chinese/Indians/Koreans and of course Israelis.

The retention of talent -is the only battleground for nations. This can translate to intellectual property that manifests as something that enhances the nation - highspeed rail, computer networks, cloud computing. See Finland and how its pursuit of this policy has been beneficial all the way around or other Scandinavian counries.

The unique perspectives imbued in an individual via his culture, upbringing is often not considered to be a factor in ground-breaking discoveries and perhaps maybe important. These resources -are the one' that truly maintain the 'promise' of fiat currency/stocks or any other tangible manifestation that is abstract in its implications regarding 'money'/'wealth'. 'currency'.


IF in the coming decades -the Gulf achieves its goal of attracting and retaining intellectual talent (not possible due to restrictive society) -than the tide changes. In this manner -it may be soon before nations -especialy with HUGE capital surpluses- are not vi hedge funds/ funding positions etc -will n=focus on retaining their own talent -and most importantly recruiting all talent (amazing how many white techies you meet in China eh).

This is what drives nations to greatness and the hidden battle has always been to attract the best talent.

[BadJuju]

Re: Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

One need merely survey the world and recognize that 1) there are for more people than there are jobs due to modern technology and 2) modern technology has failed to improve the standard of living of the world's population by any appreciable degree.

That is one of the worst arguments to be made against technology. Technology allows for us to produce more and focus on other tasks. It has increased our longevity, allowed many of us to live lifestyles of leisure that would have been inconceivable in the past, and numerous other things. Technology has improved mankind's lot in this world immeasurably.

If you want, we can sacrifice all of the advancements we have made and revert back to early Neolithic life in which people worked all of the time to provide food for themselves. At least people would then have jobs.

[Fiat Currency]

Re: Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

I am seriously forced to disagree. I do feel that compared to only 30 years ago -the individuals on this planet with cellphones -is even much more than bicycles -30 years ago. So I think that technology has fulfilled its duty to its creators. It has made life easier in many many ways for umpteen billions of people.

The core of the argument in my belief is Intellectual property. For centuries it was shared and then it grew to be hegemonized through tremendous subsidies disguised as research institutions/ think tanks/ corporate R&D , private R&D (see the Nozette case), Universities etc.


These drew the top .0001 percent of the brains to the US and as such was a transfer of intellectual property. The rest that followed were at the very least .1 percent of the population. This is why -so many (recent) immigrants do so well. These are not boatloads of labor but in fact generational , cultural repositories of knowledge that you are attracting and retaining. Whatever the ruse -corporate jobs, post-doc positions, 'research', etc. The hand in glove of this Government-Educational-Defense- Corporate R&D -most importantly applies to an overwhelming commitment to full spectrum dominance -and that comes mainly from many unwitting intelligentsia/intellectuals and young bright people who maintain this and invigorate it from abroad -such as Russians/Chinese/Indians/Koreans and of course Israelis.

The retention of talent -is the only battleground for nations. This can translate to intellectual property that manifests as something that enhances the nation - highspeed rail, computer networks, cloud computing. See Finland and how its pursuit of this policy has been beneficial all the way around or other Scandinavian counries.

The unique perspectives imbued in an individual via his culture, upbringing is often not considered to be a factor in ground-breaking discoveries and perhaps maybe important. These resources -are the one' that truly maintain the 'promise' of fiat currency/stocks or any other tangible manifestation that is abstract in its implications regarding 'money'/'wealth'. 'currency'.


IF in the coming decades -the Gulf achieves its goal of attracting and retaining intellectual talent (not possible due to restrictive society) -than the tide changes. In this manner -it may be soon before nations -especialy with HUGE capital surpluses- are not vi hedge funds/ funding positions etc -will n=focus on retaining their own talent -and most importantly recruiting all talent (amazing how many white techies you meet in China eh).

This is what drives nations to greatness and the hidden battle has always been to attract the best talent.

Clapping Hands 95x95.gif

Bravo! We call these 'technology transfers'. You can trade them in a socially concious way, and still make decent money. Then, you simply need to figure out how to manage all that fiat currency you generate - because the world has proven you really don't want to hold it for too long. :eek: (I believe it was cobben who interpreted it as 'Return Unto Caesar ...')

As for nations - your thinking will probably change over time. The better strategy is to deploy global macroeconomic business models that link in some advantageous way - so that you can maximize it all.

[ggirod]

Re: Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

This is what drives nations to greatness and the hidden battle has always been to attract the best talent.

Sorry, this might qualify as a rant, but it is not attracting the best talent that makes a great nation. We were once great because we were on top, having mostly attracted the rejects of the world and giving them a chance. Now, our employers, wasting our truly qualified and hard working people, attract the cream of the crop of people from other nations, underpay them, and make our own people waste their skills.

Sorry, but to those who wish to go home, I say "thanks", and "see ya". Maybe our schools in science and technology will again fill with citizens who then have job opportunities when they leave school. Maybe our own people will find that grad school with appropriate support will pay off for them. Maybe schools can have in state / in nation / and world tuition rates that pay the actual costs. Heck, the dollar will be worthless anyway, might as well get a lot of them. Maybe assistantships could go first to citizens. Maybe we will return to the top of the ladder in science and technology, where we belong.

To those who cite the German scientists we imported after the war, I say that they did some very great things for our nation and paid us back many fold. They were not the sole driver of our growth, however. Instead, it was the farm kids turned technical workers, the lower class kids who got a chance at college, soldiers with their GI benefits, and the middle class kids that discovered there was something awaiting them other than running their dad's store.

In case you didn't notice, maybe if we want to return to those glorious days of yesteryear, maybe we don't make kids go into a lifetime debt for school and instead, print lots of bail-out money, loan it at 0% interest, and forgive 10% of the loan for every year they teach, work in basic research, work in technology fields, or work in biomedical fields. What a concept. We could actually produce our own highly paid taxpayers who produce exports and help keep the dollar worth something. We could have the finest pool of workers ever found and we would stomp the rest of the world in any competition you would like to choose. Then again, we will probably just squander our people it as we sing joyfully along ....
[media][/media]
Remember, folks, the people who go back home and get good jobs will be our competitors soon. The US might be able to regain a lead in some areas if we focus on it, but as long as we export all our high value work, import workers for stuff we can't export, deprive the majority of an affordable decent education, and let our own people languish, we are done. No point in blaming foreigners, it is our own stupid managers and owners.

[BadJuju]

Re: Brain drain: why many of our best and brightest are going home

This squirrel has his nuts in order. (Sorry, ggirod, your avatar is a source of amusement for me!)