Examining an Unconventional Cause of Human Capital Flight

Hello - Ryan here! More conventional sources of brain drain have become clear over the course of the last century, though modern examples of such exodus have challenged what researchers believe to be basic causes for this phenomenon. Thus, this post will look at understanding a recent case of human capital flight and what unconventional settings provided for this emigration. By analyzing these new sources, delegates can relate their own countries' economic and political positions to such results, and can understand what brain drain may mean for their own nations' prosperity.

The recent unfolding of Britain's decision to pull out of the European Union lends credence to the growing sentiment of ethnonationalism in many MDCs, and led many British professionals to follow more incentivizing economics in other European nations. Writer Edoardo Campanella of the Business Times compares this impending crisis to the 1685 exodus of Huguenots from France, drawing similarity in the economic impacts that may result. In the case of the Huguenots, these workers pursued tax breaks and other forms of economic benefits after religious discrimination in France. How Brexit differs from this case is the source: Campanella underlines that this example is the first time "a catastrophic loss of human capital [has occurred] during a period of peace and prosperity."

This unique case of brain drain stems from the growing ethnonationalist movement in Europe - one that rejects the incoming low-skilled migrants of Eastern Europe and elsewhere for more domestic, intensive economic development - and puts into question how else such a movement can impact more developed countries influenced by ethnonationalism. As delegates, it is important to consider not only how this modern topic affects potential resolutions in committee, but also what sentiment for ethnonationalism can mean for your own countries as well. Brain drain can have multiple impacts on multiple nations, yet it is disquieting that such a process can occur in such a time and place as modern Britain.

To read more about Brexit's callback to Huguenot exodus, find Campanella's article below: https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/opinion/the-catastrophic-costs-of-a-brexit-brain-drain

Learn more about other modern examples of brain drain below:
https://www.thoughtco.com/brain-drain-1435769