Paul Pedersen, Department of Human Studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham

1. INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC MIGRATIONS TODAY: NEW PERSPECTIVES"The China Syndrome: Delayed return as a viable alternative to the brain drain perspective" Paul Pedersen, Department of Human Studies, University of Alabama at Birmingham Ko Shan Lee, Department of Counseling and Human Services, Syracuse University  

2. Brain Drain encourages wrong thinking: • it disregards the possibility of delayed return • it underemphasizes the migration of ideas from host country it presumes exploitation by industrialized countries • it presumes exploitation by industrialized countries • it exploits sensational rather than scientific issues • it creates barriers for international exchange • it assumes a zero-sum, win or lose perspective

3. Many Chinese students study in the U.S.: • In 1994-95 there were 39,403 students from the PRC • Since 1990 there have been between 32,000 and 45,000 Chinese students studying in the U.S. each year • Between 1978-88 about 12,500 students with J-1 visas and 7,000 students with F-1 visas returned to the PRC

4. Students in scientific fields have delayed their return because: • A lack of trust in the PRC political leadership • A lack of advanced professional opportunitiesan increasingly • An "independent-minded" perspective

5. The dangers of "brain drain" have been a concern in the PRC: • Study abroad limited to more applied fields • Undergraduate and masters level quotas decreased • Quota of older students studying for doctorate increasedPost-doctorate research stations set up to assist reentry • A National Service Center set up to assist reentry • A tendency to send students to Europe or Commonwealth countries rather than the U.S.

6. Students who return home create a problem: • Western thinking and theories of development are disruptive • Returned students perceived as having a "westernizing" influence • Advocates of "old ways" fearful of losing power • Jealousy among colleagues who did not study abroad

7. There is a need for students to return to the PRC: • Changes in China create a need for western trained scientists • The local educational policy is moving toward a market economy model • More private universities are being developed • More foreign investment in educational institutions • More independence by universities is expected to result • Development of rural and joint-venture enterprises • Development of key universities to "world class" status

8. Students are being encouraged to reenter: • Responsibility for selecting students to go abroad has been shifted to individual work units • Graduates from Chinese universities work for 2 years before going abroad • A concerted effort to improve the living and working conditions of intellectuals • Focus on advanced students and scholars rather than undergraduates to study abroad

9. Everyone can benefit from a successful reentry: • New ideas contribute to effective transfer of technology • Transfer of technology requires ideas and people • Graduates from abroad provide a link between sending and receiving countries • Two-directional back and forth migration is becoming more popular

10. What do students need to encourage reentry: • An equitable salary • Adequate living arrangements • Opportunity for professional development • A position/career appropriate to their training • Access to modern equipment • Respect for knowledge and professional status • Infractructure of institutes and universities • Removing obstacles for promotion by returnees • A favorable socio-political climate

11. Taiwan students more likely to return if: • Not in technical or hard sciences • Funded by government rather than private sources • Older, married and had jobs waiting for them

12. Psychological factors among Taiwan students: • A sense of"belonging" and national "loyalty" • A low level of expressed "well being" in the U.S. • A high level of loyalty to family • A sense of "responsibility" for Taiwan's future

13. Professional incentives favoring reentry by Taiwan students: • Having a job waiting back home • Career possibilities in Taiwan • Availability of an infrastructure in Taiwan

14. Nonspecific factors favoring reentry by Taiwan students: • The importance of family loyalty • Positive assessment of the environment in TaiwanA favorable perception of political environment • The opportunity to make a meaningful contribution

15. The reentry decision changed over time based on: • The changing strength of personal and professional support • Changes in philosophical and ideological orientation • Changes in advice from the family back home

16. General findings about reentry by Taiwan students: • Personal and professional satisfaction is not by itself a good predictor • Returnees expect extrinsic rewards beyond knowledge alone when they return home • Ideological reasons of loyalty and patritism are extremely important factors in the reentry decision • The external influence of family and friends is very important • Economic development opportunities back home are important

17. Misatributions about reentry: • “Students abroad are motivated primarily by financial reasons." • "It is clearly in the best interests of the U.S. to keep graduates from returning home." • "Returned graduates in science and engineering will be a destabilizing factor back home." • "Whatever is to the advantage of the sending country is to the disadvantage of the receiving country." • "All graduates would prefer to stay abroad if given the opportunity."

18. Misatributions about reentry:(continue) • "Nothing the home country can do will bring graduates home again." • "Most graduates who remain come from less Industrialized countries." • "If students do not return home immediately should be counted as brain drain." • "Brain drain is the deliberate exploitation of less industrialized sending countries." • "Graduates who return home will always have the opportunity to make a contribution from their studies."