Countries often receive foreign highly educated people with open arms. They put money in society’s treasure chest as they pay a lot of taxes and premiums. For example, over time, the Dutch treasury earned one and a half billion euros this way.

Brain drain

Critics warn of a “brain drain” in the home country, as the highly educated leave, maybe for good. That does happen, says Papakonstantinou in her thesis, but this effect is suppressed by the positive developments that result from the migration of highly educated people: an accelerated economic growth in all of the 68 countries surveyed.

The most important argument for this positive development is that such a move by a highly educated person shows citizens in their home country that studying pays off. As a result, they are more motivated to complete an education as high as possible as well.

Transferring funds

Less developed countries also benefit in other ways, such as migrants sending over money to allow family members to study too. In addition, some migrants also return to their home country, bringing their expanse of knowledge with them. The network that they have built in the meantime then works both ways.

Papakonstantinou will be obtaining her PhD at the University of Groningen next Thursday.

HOP, Irene Schoenmacker