Flight of Human Capital: Reverse Brain Drain?

Hello all,

Today we will be talking about a potential example of human capital flight that doesn't match the typical cases we cite in the topic synopsis, and how it may tie into the phenomenon we touched upon called "reverse brain drain." Experts and media are increasingly recognizing the effects of President Trump's new restrictive immigration and visa policies and its potential effect on skilled talent.

The United States has long been a desirable destination for the world's top students. US higher education has dominated top college rankings for decades, and American scientists are represented highly in academic and scientific recognition, such as Nobel Prizes. International talent from around the world flocks to the US, and the number of new international student enrollment has consistently increased every year - that is, until fall of 2016. It dropped once again next year, and early data looks to support this trend for the upcoming fall of 2018.

While it is likely that there are multiple factors behind this decrease, economists like Anne Kreuger criticize Trump's policies as harming one of the United States' largest major export industries: its education. Signs of talent deficit are already beginning to rise in innovational areas like Silicon Valley.

So what about the current foreign studying in the United States who may be unable to obtain a work visa and consequently will return back to their home countries?

This is a good example of "reverse brain drain," a phenomenon that some economists use to justify that brain drain ends up a net benefit for the origin nation. When highly skilled workers return to their home country, they now have a much more developed skillset and experience to use to start businesses, teach at universities, etc. In fact, some of the world's leading nations have previously adopted policies to specifically encourage this reverse migration, and could be an interesting starting point for some ideas to address our second topic.

Here are some links to information mentioned above!
Anne Kreuger on Trump Brain Drain:
https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/trump-foreign-students-us-universities-by-anne-krueger-2019-01
International Students in the US:
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/international-students-united-states
Reversing the Brain Drain in Pakistan:
https://ssir.org/articles/entry/reverse_the_brain_drain

Transparency in Foreign Aid

Hello, everybody! I am going to write about ways in which foreign aid can be effective in strengthening the long-term economies of nations that receive aid. Some of the primary issues with foreign aid arise from the fact that it is hard to regulate where foreign aid money ends up. This does not necessarily mean that the governments of nations receiving aid are misusing funds but that they are not allocating aid to sectors of the economy in which would bring the highest rates of return if invested in. Providing aid to some sectors may fuel the aid-dependency cycle, while investing aid in other sectors may reduce aid dependency in the future.

Investment in specific sectors, such as education or agriculture, greatly benefit a nation’s economy and can reduce future reliance on aid. These investments have to be targeted—you cannot just dedicate a sum of money to schools or farmers with a vague goal in mind. Policy makers have to devise specific plans that increase the quality of education, whether that means investing in early childhood education or specifically addressing regions of a country where literacy rates are low. In terms of agriculture, this could mean investing in sustainable agricultural practices, such as those that promote long-term fertility. Thus, governments receiving foreign aid can invest in specific sectors and policies that will strengthen their economies and eliminate the need to receive large sums of foreign aid.

The question is, how can donor nations ensure that the aid they give will be used effectively to reduce aid dependency in the future? The Brookings Institution and Publish What You Fund developed the Aid Transparency Index in 2018, which publicly provides aid data from around the world. By publishing where aid comes from, where it is going, and how it is used allows for research institutions and donor nations to assess what type of aid is most effective and if governments are being transparent in how they are dispersing aid. It also allows researchers and policy makers to analyze this data and determine what types of aid have been most successful in generating the economic results they desire to achieve.

To read more about how greater accountability and transparency regarding foreign aid can make the effects of aid more efficient, read these web pages and articles:

http://www.publishwhatyoufund.org/why-it-matters/what-you-can-do/

https://www.global-economic-symposium.org/knowledgebase/the-global-economy/effective-investments-in-education

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2018/06/21/how-better-aid-transparency-will-help-tackle-global-development-challenges/

Delegate Posting Expectations

Hi everyone! 

As we near our first deadline for position paper submissions (this Sunday!)I wanted to let you know what we expect from this blog as your chairs. 

This blog is meant to be a way to update you on the nature of our topics in current events and allow you all to interact with each other before the conference. While you do not need to respond to all posts (and I encourage you not to), feel free to engage with the material in any way that works for you. 

Each week we will post once about each topic and we encourage you to read the posts as a way to catch up on the current events for these topics. While this is not an exhaustive way to continue to prepare for committee, this could be a great way for you to interact with your fellow delegates before the conference starts. 

We would love to see each delegation respond to one post. This is by no means a requirement but we would love to see what you all have to say. 

We look forward to reading what you write. Happy typing! 
Michelle 

Elle and Ryan Chair Introductions

Enjoy the introductions for our remaining two vice chairs below!


Hello, my name is Elle! I am a junior studying Political Economy and French. Besides BMUN, I have been involved in research regarding refugee and migrant affairs, and I hope to continue working in that field in my future. In my spare time, I love to travel, eat food, and watch movies! 


I’m super excited for BMUN 67! ECOFIN’s topics are super relevant to our world, as they relate to migration and economic/political development. They are also super nuanced and can be viewed from many different perspectives or applied to specific cases. Please reach out to me at emahdavi@bmun.org if you have any questions about our topics, or about Cal in general! 

Hey everyone; my name is Ryan and I cannot wait to meet you all and assist you as part of the ECOFIN dias this year. I am a freshman at Cal studying Environmental Science and have loved being a part of the BMUN community on campus. ECOFIN was the first committee I ever participated in, and am excited to see how you all interact with such interesting and exploratory topics. I wish you all the best in your preparation for conference, and hope that you all learn more about the world and yourself this spring!

Best,
Ryan

Chair Introduction - Alan

Hello everybody!

My name is Alan and I will be one of your vice chairs this March! I'm currently a junior studying Computer Science and Statistics, and am originally from West Windsor, New Jersey. I participated in MUN all four years of high school, and this is my third year chairing BMUN as well. Outside of MUN, I enjoy listening to music, reading, and just generally being lazy.

Feel free to ask me about anything either at conference or through email at axu@bmun.org!