Countering Brain Drain through Circulation and Linkage: Illustrations and Lessons from China and India

Countries that face brain drain have adopted various approaches to address its adverse impacts on development. However, the extant literature grounded in the return migration paradigm stresses regaining “lost” human capital through the repatriation of skilled migrants (brain circulation), neglecting the contributions skilled diasporic talent can make through transnational social capital (brain linkage) without permanent return. Building on recent theoretical advancements that reconsider return-centric accounts of migration and talent policies, the authors propose a framework that treats circulation and linkage as distinctive yet intertwined phenomena, accounting for both the human and social capital offered by skilled diaspora members. The utility of the revised framework is illustrated through a comparative analysis of India and China, two countries that have experienced the largest magnitudes of skilled emigration worldwide but adopted divergent strategies to mitigate brain drain, reflecting different resources, needs, and capacities. China has focused on circulating back its overseas talent, while India has cultivated transnational linkages that do not center on the permanent repatriation of its overseas talent. Additionally, circulation has facilitated linkage in China, whereas linkage has fostered circulation in India. The authors conclude by discussing the framework's theoretical contributions to the skilled migration literature and policy implications for countries of different sizes, levels of development, and geographic regions.