Following recent attempts to link migration of the highly trained to broader global processes, we argue that national variation in the size of highly trained migration can be explained by interaction and inequality between nations, both reflecting the process of global integration. Guided by this analytical framework, we tested the structural determinants of highly skilled migration to the United States. The evidence confirms our hypotheses that economic and educational interactions between sending countries and the United States increase the flow of the highly trained to the United States. Results also provide mixed proof for our hypotheses that levels of professional migration are positively associated with disparities between sending countries and the United States in living conditions, research conditions, children's educational opportunities, political conditions, and professional employment opportunities.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AgarwalV. B. and WinklerD. R.1984“Migration of Professional Manpower to the United States, Southern Economic Journal, 50(3):814–830.
2.
AndersonP. Y.1988“Manpower Losses and Employment Adequacy among Skilled Workers in Jamaica 1976–1985.” In When Borders Don't Divide: Labor Migration and Refugee Movements in the Americas. Ed. PessarP. R.New York: Center for Migration Studies.
3.
BenderP. M.1989EQS: Structural Equations Program Manual.Los Angeles, CA: BMDP Statistical Software, Inc.
4.
BenderP. M.1987“Latent Variable Structural Models for Separating Specific from General Effects.” Report prepared for the Health Services Research Conference, “Strengthening Causal Interpretations of Nonexperimental Data,”Tucson, AZ.
5.
Bureau of the Census, U.S.19921990 Census of Population and Housing: Public Use Microdata Samples, United States.Washington, DC: Bureau of the Census.
6.
GastilR. D.1985“The Comparative Survey of Freedom XI,”Freedom at Issues, Jan.-Feb.
7.
GrubelH. G. and ScottA.1977The Brain Drain: Determinants, Measurement and Welfare Effects.Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
8.
HendersonG.1970Emigration of Highly Skilled Manpower from the Developing Countries.New York: UNITAR.
9.
INS (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service)1989a 1988 Statistical Yearbook of the INS.Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
10.
INS (U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service)1989b Immigrants Admitted to the United States, 1988.Washington, DC: Statistical Analysis Division, INS.
11.
Institute of International Education1992Open Doors: 1990/91.New York: Institute of International Education (IIE).
12.
Institute of International Education1987Open Doors: 1986/1987. New York: Institute of International Education (IIE). International Labour Office Various Year Book of Labour Statistics. Geneva: ILO. years
13.
KritzM. M.1987“The Global Picture of Contemporary Immigration Patterns.” In Pacific Bridges: The New Immigration from Asia and the Pacific Islands. Ed. FawcettJ. T. and CarinoB. V.New York: Center for Migration Studies. Pp. 29–51.
14.
LiuJ. and ChengL.1994“Pacific Rim Development and the Duality of Post-1965 Asian Immigration to the United States.” In The New Asian Immigration in Los Angeles and Global Restructuring. Ed. OngP., BonacichE. and ChengL.Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. Pp. 74–99.
15.
National Foreign Assessment Center1987Handbook of Economic Statistics, 1987. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
16.
OngP. M., ChengL. and EvansL.1992“Migration of Highly Educated Asians and Global Dynamics,”Asian and Pacific Migration Journal1 (3–4): 543–567.
17.
OngP. and LiuJ.1994“U. S. Immigration Policies and Asian Migration.” In The New Asian Immigration in Los Angeles and Global Restructuring. Ed. OngP., BonacichE. and ChengL.Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. Pp.45–73.
18.
OteizaE.1971“Emigracion de Profesionales, Tecnicosy Obreros Calificados Argentinos a Los Estados Unidos,”Desarrollo Economico, 10:429–454.
19.
PortesA.1976“Determinants of the Brain Drain,”International Migration Review, 10(4):489–508.
20.
SassenS.1988The Mobility of Labor and Capital.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
21.
SeligsonM., ed. 1984The Gap between Rich and Poor: Contending Perspectives on the Political Economy of Development.Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
22.
SloperD.1977“From Dependency to Autonomy – An Asian Case Study.” In Professional Structure in South East Asia. Ed. SilcockT. H.Canberra: The Australian National University.
23.
TreimanD.1977Occupational Prestige in Comparative Perspective.New York: Academic Press.
24.
United Nations19901988 Demographic Yearbook.New York: United Nations.
25.
U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Economic Analysis1988U.S. Direct Investment Abroad: Operations of U.S. Parent Companies and Their Foreign Affiliates: Revised 1985 Estimates.Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
26.
U.S. Department of Commerce International Trade Administration19871986 U.S. Foreign Trade Highlights.Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
27.
UNESCO Various The UNESCO Statistical Yearbook, various issues. Paris: UNESCO. years
28.
Vas-ZoltanP.1976The Brain Drain: An Anomaly of International Relations.Budapest: Akademiai Kiado.
29.
World Bank1992World Development Report 1990.Washington, DC: Oxford University Press.
30.
World Bank1987World Development Report 1987.Washington, DC: Oxford University Press.
