We are seeking paper presentations on highly-skilled migrants and brain waste in the (European) labour market for the annual IMISCOE conference in Prague, 30 June – 2 July 2016. See full call for further information; submit abstracts on-line by 17 January 2016.
We are seeking innovative quantitative papers that examine the (different) reasons and consequences of brain waste, including contributions to better measurement of skills mismatch. Possible research questions are the propensity of immigrants to become self-employed as a result of over-education, their propensity to (re-) migrate due to over-education, or their likelihood to send remittances. We particularly welcome papers that fully account for the gender dimension of brain waste.
Furthermore, the current literature does not adequately address the question of the skills mismatch a migrant would have experienced – if any – if he or she stayed in the country of origin. Notions of brain drain, and brain waste should ideally take into consideration these counterfactuals. After all, the migrant scientist working as a taxi driver may not have found adequate employment in the country of origin.
Didier Ruedin 