Over recent decades the phenomenon of return migration has been a topic of intense discussion among academics and policy makers. Return migration is viewed as a potential development channel for the least developed countries and represents an opportunity to reverse brain drain into the brain gain. During the last two years, interest in this topic has taken Renata Invanova, a 5th year PhD student at CERGE-EI as far as India and the US, pursuing the theoretical and empirical aspects of return migration that form the basis of her dissertation.
“India astonishes you with the mixture of sounds, smells, and scenery from the moment you step off the plane on kilometers of carpets that cover the entire Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi. It astonishes you by the dramatic inequality, an overwhelming poverty in the midst of which you never see a gloomy face, but only smiles. By its desire to outpace China in population by the year 2014. By the fact that everyone speaks English, which makes the country so attractive for foreign professionals and tourists. By the power of the caste system, which still permeates life and determines, for instance, admission quotas to high schools and universities, as well as possibilities for marriage. And by rush hour traffic at 10pm when the streets are packed with BPO (business process outsourcing) employees rushing to be at their jobs by the time America and Europe wake up,” says Renata. “It was the adventure of a lifetime.”
What motivated you to start researching return migration?
The example of India shaped my research interests as I started to investigate the implications of return migration for the migrants’ countries of origin. India has experienced substantial return migration flows in the past two decades. The country had been suffering from extensive brain drain as the highly skilled professionals, in particular IT specialists, were immigrating en masse to the US and UK. As a result, one-third of Silicon Valley professionals are of Indian or Chinese origin.
India, however, does not forget its expatriates. On the contrary, the government is actively searching for efficient incentives to motivate the voluntary return of its human capital. Dual citizenship programs, multiple tax concessions and residential loans are offered to returnees. The country has even created a national holiday on January 9th known as Indian Diaspora Day!
Most importantly, the government has created employment opportunities so that returnees can transfer accumulated knowledge and experience to the context of their origin country through working on challenging, cutting-edge projects in India. If you travel to Bangalore and Hyderabad, you see the results of return migration policies. These two cities represent the leading IT clusters renowned for their large capacity to absorb returning professionals. In the Bangalore and Hyderabad suburbs, it is amazing to see luxurious American-style residences with the walls of their back gardens abutted by slums. These luxury residential neighborhoods and their infrastructure reproduce the standard of living to which emigrants became accustomed while abroad, and are intended as incentives to return.
So, you decided to visit India to see for yourself how return migration polices work. Tell us about your trip? How did you organize it?
India is very friendly toward young professionals regardless of their sphere of research. If you are older than 25 but under 50, India will welcome you to one of its leading research institutions, closely matching your professional interests.
My opportunity to visit India became possible in the framework of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program, sponsored by the Indian government and available to many countries, including those of the fSU and Europe, in particular, the Czech Republic. (The information about the ITEC application and its professional training courses can be found on the Indian Embassy web page of your origin country.) Due to the limited number of people aware of ITEC, the competition among applicants is small so the chance of being admitted is very large. The program covers travel and accommodation expenses plus support equivalent to US$200 per month. The courses offered range from IT, journalism, and biology to English-language courses. Duration is from two weeks up to three months
During my first visit to India in February 2010 I was participating in a month-long training “Research Methods in Labor Studies,” conducted by V.V. Giri National Labor Institute, an autonomous body of the Ministry of Labor. The program offered a unique opportunity to meet young researchers and share my experience with participants from more than 20 countries including Yemen, Kenya, Maldives, Palestine, and even former Soviet Union countries. Indian professionals from the country’s leading research institutions were invited to give lectures and lead seminars. Besides professional benefits, the ITEC program offered extensive possibilities for learning about Indian culture and seeing the country.
How beneficial was this trip for your dissertation research?
The advantages of participating in the 2010 training were being able to take advantage of the available Indian data, and to establish useful contacts both with Indian researchers and other participants.
As a visiting researcher at the Labor Institute, I was allowed free access to the National Sample Survey data – the largest household survey in India conducted on a regular basis, and to the national census data. To date, the scope of empirical studies conducted in India on local data has been purely descriptive, thus creating numerous possibilities for researchers to apply advanced econometric tools and obtain new results in the Indian context. The tremendous diversity of India, where each state can be considered almost a separate country due to differences in languages, religious beliefs, and climate allow researchers to address many interesting questions.
Contacts with Indian researchers from my first visit helped make possible my second visit to India in February 2011, this time to the Center of Migration and Development at the University of Hyderabad.
What other impressions did you have from visiting India?
Aside from the benefits of getting to explore an amazingly vibrant and diverse culture, if you want to lose weight – spend a month in India! There is no safe food, even at McDonalds. The food and water I had brought with me was only enough for a week. Fortunately, my mom came to “rescue” me 10 days into my stay and she brought me a grilled chicken! The rest of the time we were eating bananas and drinking the bottled water. This was the only way to survive and enjoy India.
Currently you are on mobility at Princeton University, which could hardly be more different from India. How is this experience helping you to complete or complement your research?
This mobility is providing me with the opportunity to meet, in person, and establish working relationships with many of the outstanding researchers in labor economics and migration studies whose works I am quoting in my dissertation.
Princeton is known for its extensive research on international migration. The Center for Migration and Development has conducted numerous data collection projects on immigrants and return migrants in many Latin American countries. I have been given access to the university’s restricted databases, which is allowing me to illuminate several less-developed areas in my dissertation. I am also fascinated by the Princeton University library, which has one of the richest collections of books in the world.
Any practical tips for those going on mobility?
Yes, if you are going to American universities and staying in dormitories, I was surprised that Princeton dorms provide neither bed linens nor towels. My first night at Princeton I had to use my backpack as a pillow and my coat as a blanket. It seems strange for me that even in India I didn’t have to think about such things as pillows and blankets! So, please, be prepared for such “extreme” conditions and find out in advance the nearest IKEA location so you can buy all the necessary stuff, or alternatively bring it with you!
Should other young researchers who are taking their first steps toward an academic career take advantage of mobility opportunities?
Definitely. I would recommend that every PhD student go on mobility. It’s a great opportunity to share your findings and ideas, to obtain valuable feedback on your research and meet outstanding scholars. Also, I recommend taking advantage of the training opportunities offered by research institutions in developing countries like India, which are very open to the foreign researchers. It’s a great way to learn about research clusters in other parts of the world and to become a part of a completely different culture at least for some time. All this benefits you both professionally and personally. And it can begin the adventure of a lifetime!
Thanks, Renata, for sharing your experience as well as practical tips. We wish you good luck and successful completion of your dissertation.
Nargiza Alimukhamedova, CERGE-EI
