'Brain Drain' from Turkey: Survey Evidence of Student Non-Return

Turkey’s first “brain drain” wave began in the 1960s, with doctors and engineers among the first group of emigrants. In recent years, attention has shifted to young university graduates who are seriously contemplating starting their careers abroad as a result of the current economic crisis. Postgraduate studies overseas provide the first step for many in fulfilling this goal. This paper provides an evaluation of the findings of a survey conducted during the first half of 2002 on the return intentions of Turkish students studying abroad. Various factors have been cited as important for student non‐return, including political instability, lower salaries and lack of employment opportunities in the home country when studies are completed, as well as a preference to live abroad. In addition to these factors, several other features of Turkey’s political economy are considered to be important in explaining the Turkish brain drain.

[1]  Muammer Kaya Beyin Göçü/Erozyonu , 2003 .

[2]  Özlem Işiğiçok Türkiye’de Yaşanan Son Ekonomik Krizlerin Sosyo-Ekonomik Sonuçları: Kriz İşsizliği Ve Beyin Göçü , 2002 .

[3]  A. Tansel Economic Development and Female Labor Force Participation in Turkey: Time-Series Evidence and Cross-Section Estimates , 2002 .

[4]  D. R. Lewis,et al.  Equity, quality and efficiency effects of reform in Turkish higher education , 1999 .

[5]  William J. Carrington,et al.  How Extensive Is the Brain Drain , 1999 .

[6]  A. Tansel General Versus Vocational High Schools and Labor Market Outcomes in Turkey , 1998 .

[7]  Aysit Tansel,et al.  Determinants of School Attainment of Boys and Girls in Turkey , 1998 .

[8]  A. Tansel,et al.  The Educational Attainment of Turkey's Labor Force: A Comparison Across Provinces and Overtime , 1997 .

[9]  D. Zweig,et al.  China's Brain Drain to the United States: Views of Overseas Chinese Students and Scholars in the 1990s , 1998 .

[10]  Tain-Jy Chen,et al.  On the-job training as a cause of brain drain , 1995 .

[11]  Aysit Tansel,et al.  Wage employment, earnings and returns to schooling for men and women in Turkey , 1994 .

[12]  Viem Kwok,et al.  An Economic Model of the Brain Drain , 1982 .

[13]  C. E. Cortés The Latin American brain drain to the United States , 1980 .

[14]  Jae Won Lee,et al.  An Empirical Analysis of China's Brain Drain into the United States , 1973, Economic Development and Cultural Change.

[15]  John Niland,et al.  The Asian Engineering Brain Drain. , 1971 .

[16]  Turhan Oğuzkan Yurt dışında çalışan doktoralı Türkler : Türkiye'den başka ülkelere yüksek seviyede eleman göçü üzerinde bir araştırma , 1971 .

[17]  J. Niland The Asian engineering brain drain : a study of international relocation into the United States from India, China, Korea, Thailand and Japan , 1970 .

[18]  Serin Nejdet İkinci Beş Yıllık Kalkınma Planı , 1968 .

[19]  J. Kopczynski OPEN DOORS. , 1958, British medical journal.