Brain Drain and Emigration Restrictions: An Egalitarian Account

• In Event: Justice, Democracy, and Policy

Abstract

There are two main defenses of emigration restrictions as a response to brain drain: duties of reciprocity and duties of assistance. I raise concerns about both and argue that related restrictions on emigration can only be justified if some egalitarian conditions are met. Developing countries tend to be highly unequal and we must consider how restrictions on emigration may burden people unequally in an unfair way. I hold that restrictions on exit grounded on duties of reciprocity and duties of assistance do exactly that. Two conditions would avoid those problems. First, the education system, in which citizens from all income levels are trained, must be publicly funded to avoid differences in duties to reciprocate among citizens of different socioeconomic statuses. Second, a robust egalitarian taxation scheme must be established so that those better off adequately help their less advantaged compatriots. Restrictions on exit as a response to brain drain should not be detached from the policy options that provide essential services. One's capacity to assist others depends not only on one's skills but on multiple factors like access to resources and wealth. Therefore, if established, exit taxes and compulsory service programs should be proportional to one's overall capacity to assist, like progressive taxation schemes. I address one objection: brain drain is incredibly harmful and prevents governments from providing essential services. I would grant that under extreme scarcity, governments may establish more restrictive measures to respond to brain drain.

Author

• Diego Mauricio Tapia-Riquelme, University of Virginia