1664 



talent." Affecting this need have been such post-World War II 

 phenomena a>: 



— The great upsurge in world education, augmenting substantially the 

 talent market; 



— The movement, internally as well as externallj^, towards urban and 

 metropolitan centers which industrialization has fed. . . . 



— Far-reaching improvements in transportation and communications, 

 facilitating mobility and making information on job opportunities readily 

 available; 



— The standardization of professional training, easing lateral movement 

 across national boundaries; and 



— Official encouragement of preference provisions, work permits, and other 

 provisions in state-regulated immigration laws designed to attract talent 

 from this new world market.^^^ 



IMPACT OF DECOLONIZATION ON BRAIN DRAIN 



The process of decolonization has, by ironic mischance, had nega- 

 tive consequences for the brain drain problem. In its most serious 

 manifestations, the problem largely involves emigration from the 

 former colonial areas of Asia and Africa. 



By virtue of the former colonial-imperial link the emigrant moves into what he 

 believes to be familiar circles. This familiarity eases the burden of transition 

 between two essentially different cultures. The imperial tradition may also en- 

 gender a belief that by migrating to the imperial center, the former colonial is 

 moving up into a superior and more exciting culture. The attraction is often so 

 alluring that the former colonial remains, to the loss of his developing native 

 country. ^3* 



This form of brain drain arises out of what tend to be self-defeating 

 contradictions in policies of the erstwhile imperial powers and other 

 advantaged countries which seek to assist the development process in 

 the disadvantaged former colonies through programs of foreign aid. 

 Such efforts, the study notes, are often offset by the movement of 

 "human capital" in the opposite direction. 



Concern for this problem has increased with a growing awareness that develop- 

 ment cannot be effectively stimulated simply by the flow of money to the LDCs 

 and that an equally vital role must be played by local Deoole with skills and ex- 

 pertise to carry out development programs. The United States becomes involved 

 in this problem in that former colonials immigrate to the United States 

 through the former imperial centers in Europe ; they come directly from their na- 

 tive country; and the United States has been a long time advocate and practi- 

 tioner of foreign aid as a means of development. . . . 



What makes this matter particularly important for international relations 

 today is that the LDCs constitute a vast configuration of political power: they have 

 a voice; and they make known their complaints. No longer are they willing to 

 remain silent while their interests are being ignored.^^* 



EFFECTS OF CHANGES IN IMMIGRATION PRIORITIES 



The effects of the reorder ng of immigration priorities on the brain 

 drain problem, especially in relation to the LDCs, have been far- 

 reaching. New criteria of quality and selectivity invited emigration of 

 the professionals, the intellectuals, and the technically skilled. Along 

 with the lowering of racial restrictions in the economically advanced 

 countries, these new criteria had a special appeal for the LDCs. 



233 Ibid., pp. 1078-1079. 

 234/6td.,p. 1079. 

 23« Ibid., p. 1080. 



