Direction:

Read carefully the text and answer based on your comprehension. Print out the
text and your answers and bring to the class.

Reassessing the Impacts of Brain Drain on Developing Countries

Brain drain, which is the action of having highly skilled and educated people leaving
their country to work abroad, has become one of the developing countries concern.
Brain drain is also referred to as human capital flight. More and more third world
science and technology educated people are heading for more prosperous countries
seeking higher wages and better working conditions. This has of course serious
consequences on the sending countries.

While many people believe that immigration is a personal choice that must be
understood and respected, others look at the phenomenon from a different
perspective. What makes those educated people leave their countries should be
seriously considered and a distinction between push and pull factors must be made.
The push factors include low wages and lack of satisfactory working and living
conditions. Social unrest, political conflicts and wars may also be determining causes.
The pull factors, however, include intellectual freedom and substantial funds for
research.

Brain drain has negative impact on the sending countries economic prospects and
competitiveness. It reduces the number of dynamic and creative people who can
contribute to the development of their country. Likewise, with more entrepreneurs
taking their investments abroad, developing countries are missing an opportunity of

wealth creation. This has also negative consequences on tax revenue and
employment.

Most of the measures taken so far have not had any success in alleviating the effects
of brain drain. A more global view must take into consideration the provision of
adequate working and living conditions in the sending countries. An other option
should involve encouraging the expatriates to contribute their skill to the development
of their countries without necessarily physically relocating.

VOCABULARY

Brain:
a. The portion of the head which is the primary center for the regulation and control
of bodily activities, receiving and interpreting sensory impulses, and transmitting
information to the muscles and body organs. It is also the seat of consciousness,
thought, memory, and emotion.
b. Intellectual ability; mind: a dull brain; a quick brain.
c. Intellectual power; intelligence. Often used in the plural: "he has brains and good
looks."
d. A highly intelligent person."He's such a brain"

Brain drain:

A large emigration of individuals with technical skills or knowledge, normally due to

conflict, lack of opportunity, political instability, or health risks.

Human capital flight:

Another terminology for brain drain. It is a parallel of capital flight which refers to
the same movement of financial capital. It describes the emigration of "scientists and
technologists" to North America and Europe from different developing countries.

Brain training:
Preparing highly skilled people needed for the development of a country. Brain
training is related to an economic cost since training is sponsored by the government.

Brain gain:
Brain gain occurs when there is a large-scale immigration (as opposed to emigration)
of technically qualified persons. We can talk of highly skilled people coming to
Canada as brain gain as opposed to brain drain which refers to the act of leaving their
home country.

Brain exchange:
When the highly skilled people leave a country they are replaced by others coming
from other countries. This exchange usually happens between developed countries.

Brainless:

Stupid. "A brainless idiot."

Brainy:
Clever. "She's a brainy child."

Emigration:
When someone leaves a country permanently and go to live in another one:
"Millions of Germans emigrated from Europe to America in the nineteenth century."
The person who emigrates is an emigrant.

Immigration:
When someone comes to live in a different country.
There are strict limits on immigration (into the country)
The person who immigrates is an immigrant.

Highly-qualified:
Highly skilled, technically qualified people.

Developing country:
A poor or non industrial country that is seeking to develop its resources by
industrialization. It has a relatively low standard of living, an undeveloped industrial
base, and a moderate to low Human Development Index (HDI) score.

Developed country:
A country advanced in industrial capability, technological sophistication, and
economic productivity. Modern terms synonymous with the term developed country
include: "industrialized countries, more developed countries (MDC) more
economically developed countries(MEDC), advanced country or post-industrial
country."

Comprehension:

1. Another term for brain drain is:

a. capital flight
b. human capital flight

2. To address the problem of brain drain we should understand:

a. the causes.

b. the effects.
3. Brain drain has terrible consequences on the economic development of :
a. sending countries
b. receiving countries
4. To limit the negative impact of brain drain, expatriates should
a. come back to their home countries for good.
b. try to help their home countries while staying there.

Do the exercise below on the vocabulary related to brain drain and choose the
correct one of the words given.
Choose the right words:
1. A lot of (developed/developing/skilled) countries are facing the challenge of human
capital (wages/flight/condition).
2. Something should be done to (solve/gain/stem) this phenomenon.
3. One way to deal with this problem is to provide high (condition/wages/skilled) and
good working (condition/wages/skilled) for highly (condition/wages/skilled) people
to keep them in their (home/skilled/enemy) country.
4. Brain (drain/capital/gain) occurs when (developed/developing/skilled) countries
receive (highly/bad/beautiful) qualified people.

Give your own answer and point of view towards below questions:
1. Is there any brain drain that you can find in your country? Mention!
2. What do you think about brain drain that happened in your country? If you were
the highly skilled person and you live in this country, what will you do?

Happy working and good luck! :)

ANSWER

Comprehension:
1.
2.
3.
4.

B. Human Capital Flight

A. The Causes
A. Sending Countries
B. Try to help their home countries while staying there

The right words:

1.
2.
3.
4.

Developing/Flight
Solve
Wages/Condition/Skilled/Home
Gain/Developed/Highly

My own answer and point of view the question:

1. Yes in Indonesia brain drain is occurs to, example:
a. Arief Budiman
b. Ariel Heryanto
c. Sri Mulyani
2. I think because this brain drain, my country cant developed, but just
developing. So if i have highly skilled, i think i will be developed my country
to be a success country.

Di Indonesia, walaupun hingga saat ini belum terdapat data empiris yang
akurat, namun diperkirakan telah mencapai angka 5% pelaku brain
drain dari Indonesia. Jumlah ini dapat kita katakan cukup signifikan di
tengah terpuruknya SDM Indonesia (Hariyanto : 2008). Tentu kita masih
mengingat hengkangnya Arif Budiman, Ariel Heryanto dan beberapa
inteletual muda karena tekanan politik dari negara. Dikarenakan tuduhan
subversibe dan dianggap seabagai intelektual oposisi di masa orde baru,
karir akademis di univesitas swasta di salatiga diberangus melalui
interverensi negara. Akhirnya dinegara maju dia malah diterima dan
diangkat sebagai visiting professor di perguruan tinggi di Australia.
Fenomena Sri Mulyani merupakan fenomena brain drain yang dilakukan
oleh elit tekhnokrat yang dimiliki bangsa ini. Terlepas dari kemelut politik
dan Skandal Century, Sri Mulyani merupakan ahli ekonomi dan keuangan
yang potensial. Terpuruh di negeri sendiri, namun kini dia berkibar di
lembaga keuangan internasional.
Sebagai
bangsa
jelas brain
drain memposisikan
negara
yang
ditinggalkannya sebagai obyek penderita. Negara yang ditinggalkannya
mengalami kerugian karena kehilangan SDM yang penting dalam
pengembangan kapasitas masyarakat. Bangsa mengalami kerugian bukan
hanya karena perginya individu yang potensial dan berbakat. Namun negara
mengalami kerugian material karena sudah mengeluarkan biaya yang tidak
sedikit selama mereka tinggal di republik ini. Butuh nilai nominal yang
tidak sedikit untuk menghantarkan mereka menjadi tenaga ahli. Sejak dari
pendidikan dasar dan menengah selama di Indonesia atau bahkan perguruan
tinggi.
Siapa yang harus bertanggungjawab atas fenomena yang semakin menguat
di Indonesia belakangan ini. Menggungat dan mempertanyakan
nasionalisme terhadap pelaku brain drain barangkali bisa dilakukan,
meskipun sebenarnya bukan disini pusaran persoalannya. Atas alasan negara
telah mengeluarkan sejumlah biaya dan fasilitas dalam proses tumbuh dan
berkembangnya seorang ahli tertentu, negara berhak menagih untuk
memperoleh reward atau pengembalian dalam bentuk kontribusinya
terhadap pembangunan. Meskipun ini sangat tidak tidak proporsional,
mempertanyakan nasionalisme bisa saja dilakukan.