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Brain gain or brain circulation? U.S. doctoral recipients returning to South Korea

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Abstract

This study explored the reasons for current reverse mobility patterns in South Korea and how the country benefits from returning U.S. doctoral recipients in the forms of brain gain and brain circulation. Based on interviews of Korean faculty who studied in the U.S., this study found that while the political economy might help to explain why Korean students choose to study in the U.S., it does not fully capture their decisions to return. Family ties and cultural reasons transcended reasons related to economic mobility. The study also found that while both brain gain and brain circulation were present, brain adaptation was especially prevalent.

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Notes

  1. For example, the average faculty salaries for assistant professor in South Korea were approximately $34,000 in 2002–2003, which is comparable to the range of $34,826–$50,552 for the fulltime faculty in U.S. during the same period (Lee 2002; NCES 2009).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA

    Jenny J. Lee

  2. University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA

    Dongbin Kim

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  1. Jenny J. Lee
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  2. Dongbin Kim
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Correspondence to Jenny J. Lee.

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Lee, J.J., Kim, D. Brain gain or brain circulation? U.S. doctoral recipients returning to South Korea. High Educ 59, 627–643 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-009-9270-5

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