UNU-WIDER Mobilizing talent for global development

Talent (combining creativity, education, skills, and knowledge) is associated with human capital and provides a very valuable economic resource. In the past, the emigration of human capital from developing countries raised fears because of the associated ‘brain drain’. This is still a valid concern today although new forms and directions in the international mobility of talent call for renewed perspectives. The return mobility of expatriate ‘technological entrepreneurs’ to developing countries is a positive trend. However, the emigration of health professionals from low income countries is a source of concern. Global development needs an effective transfer of knowledge and human capital, including students, scientists, and cultural workers, to developing countries in order to support their growth and development process: a brain gain, or at least brain circulation.

Andrés Solimano, director of the UNU-WIDER project on Migration of Talent, will discuss and present the main findings of the research in relation to current issues. Andrés Solimano, a Chilean–Italian national, holds a PhD in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is currently Regional Advisor at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN-ECLAC). He is also Director of the project on The International Mobility of Talent. Formerly Country Director at the World Bank in Washington DC and Executive Director for Chile and Ecuador on the Boards of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and affiliated institutions, he has published numerous books and authored articles on growth, development, globalization, economic reform, income distribution, international migration, and macroeconomics in professional journals and the media.

Attendance is free, please register in advance:
e-mail: public-lecture(at)wider.unu.edu
and/or tel. (9) 6159911