1187 



Leadership Qualities of Emigrant Professionals.— -T\m characteris- 

 tics of emigrant professionals suggest leadership qualities that are gen- 

 erally found in ruling elites throughout the world. They are the 

 talented of the LDCs, the highly educated, trained in leading profes- 

 sions, and generally possessing dynamic personal traits. More assertive 

 and adventurous than those remaining behind, they are less likely to 

 endure sacrifices at home and are more inclined to accept attractive 

 new challenges. "These migrants take from their home countries ancil- 

 lary contributions that are not adequately measured by counting mi- 

 grants," concluded the CIMT study. "The ferment is lessened when 

 these people move. The quality of leadership may decline." *^^ 



Professor Moravcsik pursued the same line of argument in disput- 

 ing the Baldwin thesis that the migration of the critical elite would be 

 Toughly proportional to the total number of professional migrants. 

 lie recounted his observations from personal experience that "it is 

 often exactly the most talented, and the most aggressive that leave 

 the country." In the highly competitive international market, "nat- 

 urally the best people get picked up first." ISIoreover, the "most ag- 

 gressive and management-wise, most adroit individuals also have a 

 higher chance of success in acquiring for themselves a suitable position 

 abroad." Thus, Moravcsik concludes : "the fraction of the professional 

 personnel that migrates abroad represents, from the point of view of 

 future developments of science and technology, a rather crucial ele- 

 ment in quality, even though perhaps not in quantity." ^^^ 



And then there is the age factor. The emigrant professional departs 

 as a young adult at a time in life when his potentialities both profes- 

 sionally and as a general contributor to society are just being realized. 

 This is an incalculable loss to the LDCs. Approprimately 50 percent 

 of all FMGs coming to the United States since the 1960's have been less 

 than 40 years old.*^^ In 1970, nearly one-half (49 percent) of the sci- 

 entists and engineers immigrating to the United States were under 30 ; 

 another 46 percent were between 30 to 44. The youngest came from the 

 LDCs of Asia and Africa, which together accounted for 64 percent of 

 the total inflow in 1970. Of the Asians, 54 percent were under 30 ; of 

 the Africans, 52 percent were under 30.*^* 



continuing pool of similarly trained persons. The loss of such leaders therefore causes 

 serious damage to programmes of development. 



"35. The nature of the damage varies with the category of personnel emigrating from 

 t'le developing country. The loss of scientists and engineers impairs the capability of the 

 country to adapt and absorb current technologies as well as to innovate new technologies. 

 The loss of educators affects the training of new personnel, and the loss of physicians 

 and nurses adversely affects the health services. In all these cases, the effects arise because 

 the outflow of trained personnel reduces the nationally important cadre of people vital 

 to industrial, agricultural, governmental, university and medical leadership." 

 (United Nations, Committee on Science and Technology for Development, Outflow of 

 Trained Personnel from Developinp to Developed Countries, Report of the Secretary 

 General. New York, United Nations, 1974. pp. 11.34-12.35 United Nations Document 

 E/C.8/21. Jan. 18, 1974.) 



"1 CIMT study, p. 695. Senator Mondale remarked : "The?e skilled professional men 

 are almost ideally the type of people needed in the developing nations to bring political 

 stability as well." Trained and skilled in their own professions, to be sure, they are also 

 the kind of people who can provide indispensable leadership in the critical area of political 

 development of these nations." (Hearings, Senate Judiciary Committee. International 

 Mioration of Talent and Skills, 1968, p. 96.) 



*^ Michael J. Moravcsik, "Communication Among Scientists and Its Implications to 

 Developing Countries," Article based on a lecture delivered at the Research and Develop- 

 ment Management Seminar organized and sponsored by the Scientific and Technical Re- 

 search Council of Turkey in cooperation with the Technical Assistance Programme of the 

 Orsranization for Economic Cooperation and Development, held in Istanbul, May 1970, n. •">. 



"SAMA. FMG Study, 1971, p. 7. The percentage for 1963 was 50.7 percent, for 1967, 

 51.8 percent. 



*"NSF, Survey of Scientists, Engineers, and Physicians from Abroad, 1972, p. 9. 



