Return of Highly Qualified Migrants to the Western Balkans 115 pages, pdf  Download Back

Return of Highly Qualified Migrants to the Western Balkans

Publisher: Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM), Montenegro

Date: December 2011

Volume: 115 pages, pdf

Description

Due to the globalisation process, development of transport and technology (especially IT technology), return has become only a stage in the migration cycle, instead of its final part as it was previously perceived. In the case of migration of highly skilled people and professionals, the return is one stage in the process of “brain circulation” and the possibility to achieve “brain gain”. However, in order to achieve brain gain and the ‘return of innovation’, characterised by the application of knowledge and experience gained abroad for socioeconomic development of the country of origin, there has to be a motivated returnee with high potentials, but also the support of the government to enable their implementation. For that reason, through the project “Advocating for Brain Gain Policies aimed at Reintegration of High-skilled Returnees in the Western Balkans” we wanted to examine characteristics of returnees and return to the Western Balkans, as well as to determine the role of the government and state institutions in encouraging return of innovation. Our objective was to influence the governments in the region to develop a systemic support to the return of our citizens abroad, and thus motivate them to return to the country and contribute to its development with their potentials, rather than to go back abroad disappointed, due to a lack of support, and remain there forever, without any desire to cooperate with the homeland.