http://kerryhowley.com/2008/10/21/a-tale-of-two-fijis/ Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:28:11 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 http://kerryhowley.com/2008/10/21/a-tale-of-two-fijis/comment-page-1/#comment-998 Getting More by Letting Go Sat, 25 Oct 2008 23:28:48 +0000 http://kerryhowley.com/?p=157#comment-998 [...] Kerry Howley reports on a new paper by the inestimable Michael Clemens examining a remarkable natural experiment in Fiji, the results of which further demolish “brain drain” arguments against skilled emigration. Kerry nicely captures the intuitive-once-you-think-about-it-a-second principle at work: People locked in poor countries do not fail to invest years studying theoretical physics because they lack the appropriate imaginative capacity. If no one can afford to hire a cardiologist, no sane person is going to waste a decade studying to be one.  Migration increases the returns to higher education. It transforms a questionable investment into one worth making. [...] [...] Kerry Howley reports on a new paper by the inestimable Michael Clemens examining a remarkable natural experiment in Fiji, the results of which further demolish “brain drain” arguments against skilled emigration. Kerry nicely captures the intuitive-once-you-think-about-it-a-second principle at work: People locked in poor countries do not fail to invest years studying theoretical physics because they lack the appropriate imaginative capacity. If no one can afford to hire a cardiologist, no sane person is going to waste a decade studying to be one.  Migration increases the returns to higher education. It transforms a questionable investment into one worth making. [...]

]]> http://kerryhowley.com/2008/10/21/a-tale-of-two-fijis/comment-page-1/#comment-989 Rice Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:11:21 +0000 http://kerryhowley.com/?p=157#comment-989 Do you think this result (static populations make gains in educational attainment) may extend to situations where migration is between economically integrated subunits of a nation? I'm thinking of the perennial worry about brain-drain in many midwestern states in particular. Do you think this result (static populations make gains in educational attainment) may extend to situations where migration is between economically integrated subunits of a nation? I’m thinking of the perennial worry about brain-drain in many midwestern states in particular.

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