1254 



tween the pace of economic development and the durability of brain 

 drain as a phenomenon and an issue : 



. . . there seems every likeliljood that, in the long run, at least, the migration 

 of professionals out of developing countries will grow. In the short run, reduc- 

 tions in American support for research and other economic adversities may 

 reduce the movement temporarily, as it has, overall, for the United States and 

 Canada in 1969. But experience has shown that smaller developed nations often 

 export more of their professionals than developing nations do. As more people 

 in developing nations are trained to have more qualifications, more will wish to 

 and be able to migrate. Such migration will co-exist with considerable economic 

 development. It may also co-exist with lengthening gaps between developed and 

 developing nations. Brain drain from developing to developed nations is likely 

 to continue its present trend of replacing gradually the older brain drain from 

 smaller to larger developed countries."* 



These conclusions are consistent with those of other students of 

 brain drain. Dr. Luis Giorgi believed it "most likely" that brain drain 

 "will continue indefinitely." Writing nearly a decade ago, he pre- 

 dicted that this "migratory phenomenon . . . will get worse" if means 

 are not taken to induce professionals to remain home. Thus he reached 

 the conclusion on prospects for brain drain that the experience of the 

 last decade has proved to be true, namely, (1) "the migration of sci- 

 entists and engineers from developing to more advanced countries 

 will probably continue indefinitely"; and (2) "this migration will 

 probably increase unless effective steps are taken to control and reduce 

 it."«« 



Remedies for Brain Drain 



"Effective steps" to moderate brain drain (short of total arrestment) 

 fall naturally within the relationship between the causal "push/pull" 

 factors. If the disharmonies creating the "push" from the sending 

 LDCs and the "pull" from the advanced receiving nations are cor- 

 rected, then the contending forces are neutralized and brain drain can 

 no longer be a viable problem. Eliminate the causes and the effects 

 dissolve. 



Virtually every commentary and analysis on brain drain presents 

 a set of remedies, some exceedingly detailed arid programmatic, as in 

 the works by UNITAR, Gregory Henderson, Dr. Adams, Dr. Niland, 

 the authors of the CIMT study, the various official materials published 

 by the State Department and the Congress ; and others generalized and 

 suggestive. There is an understandable sameness about the remedies. 

 The problem is universal; the ingredients are fairly uniform; and 

 while remedies may vary from case-to-case, certain principles apply 

 generally. 



DIMINISHING "push" FACTORS : CLOSING DEVELOPMENT GAP 



Students of brain drain tend to attribute brain drain to deficiencies 

 within the LDCs. They concur also in the belief that the first priority 

 for remedy is economic development. Brain drain is a symptom of un- 



"< Henderson, op. clt., p. 149. 



MS UNESCO, Final Report of the Conference on the Application o/ Science and Tech- 

 nology to th^. Development of Latin America, 1965, pp. 181-182. A report on brain drain 

 from Latin America in April 1973 said, "Despite a recent slow-down In the exodus be- 

 cause openlncs in the United States were scarcer, Latin experts foresee no general solution 

 in the coming years." (The Washington Post, Apr, 12, 1973, p, K2,) 



