"Brain Drain". Causes

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

According to opinion polls, not everyone in our country knows what a "brain drain" is. Less than 90% of Russians have heard something about it, and only about 60% know exactly what it is. Meanwhile, this issue is important and serious, because this process significantly affects the most diverse spheres of society.

"Brain drain" is a global outflow (emigration) of scientists associated with negative changes in the country. Since the beginning of the nineties, when the Soviet regime collapsed with a bang, and a crisis came in Russia, which manifested itself especially strongly in the economic spheres, a significant part of graduate doctors, researchers and other representatives of the scientific world decided to change their place of residence, going to other countries. Thus, in less than 10 years, the number of specialists has halved. The brain drain continues today. Perhaps not so actively, but its results are quite noticeable.

However, the crisis is a common cause that does not fully form the picture of the current problem. As a consequence of the negative economic situation in the country,the state directed the main funds of the budget to the development of other areas, forgetting about the scientific fields. Thus, there was practically no money that would be enough for the normal existence of the research world (not to mention the possibility of new discoveries and support for innovations). And the “brain drain” began to occur for the reason that foreign countries were ready to offer scientists not only a sufficient amount of financial resources, but also a decent social existence.

The intellectual level of a country is not so much a quantitative as a qualitative indicator. And the problem of "brain drain" is that qualified personnel who are citizens of Russia and are able to bring significant benefits to their homeland are engaged in research activities abroad. The percentage of such people from the total number of scientists is approximately 80. The remaining 20 theoretically and practically can make real scientific revolutions. The discoveries made by them can significantly accelerate technological progress, bringing Russia to a new level of development.

They tried to correct the negative trend in many ways. For example, in some countries, according to the Institute for the Study of Labor, it was officially forbidden to emigrate highly qualified teachers and doctors. However, even considering this fact, people found ways to change their place of residence.

The brain drain has several directions. It doesn't have to be a trip abroad. Quite often, promising scientists or students who have graduated from universities decide to retrain, working, for example, in the service sector. The so-called "leak of ideas" is not uncommon: scientists do not leave the country, they simply sell their projects and ideas to foreign customers. In addition, very often Russian researchers collaborate with employers from other countries. And there is only one reason - the state does not want or cannot provide the scientific sector with a sufficient amount of finance. That is why the problem of "brain drain" is one of the most urgent today.