Brain circulation, diaspora and scientific progress: A study of the international migration of Chinese scientists, 1998–2006

The issue of brain drain has resurged to become an important policy concern of developing countries against the background of global talent competition. Based on a global survey covering Chinese scientists at leading universities in English academia, this paper examined the major contribution of returnees and the diaspora on China’s scientific progress between 1998 and 2006. By combining biographical and bibliometric data, the paper found that differences in the research output between domestic scientists and overseas scientists had been reduced substantially. Returnees with domestic degrees, instead of those with foreign degrees, are actually the driving force of China’s research output growth. Scientists working in China benefited greatly from international collaboration in general and collaboration with overseas Chinese in particular. This empirical study enriches our understanding of international migration in the scientific community, and helps explain China’s strategy in achieving rapid scientific development.