nyan_sandwich comments on The best 15 words - Less Wrong

12 Post author: apophenia 03 October 2013 09:08AM

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Comment author: Randaly 09 October 2013 11:50:48AM 0 points [-]

I am Randaly; I didn't know that specific information before, but it did not surprise me. My understanding was that phenomenon of brain drain is fairly well known.

Comment author: [deleted] 09 October 2013 02:47:21PM 3 points [-]

I don't usually refer to brain drain in my understanding of things. If this is true, I should. But why expect differential brain drain between Africa and Asia, which is what is necessary to explain this.

Comment author: Lumifer 09 October 2013 02:58:58PM *  6 points [-]

But why expect differential brain drain between Africa and Asia

Here is a throwaway guess: because Asia is rapidly developing and Africa is not. If you're very smart and in (ex-Japan) Asia, you can stay and be successful (make millions / cure cancer / become a pop star / etc.) locally. It's a fluid growing environment. But if you're in Africa, your chances of local success are much smaller and, correspondingly, your incentives to emigrate are much higher.

Comment author: Randaly 09 October 2013 04:51:39PM *  1 point [-]

I endorse Lumifer's reason. Other reasons would include less patriotism (as I understand, loyalties in much of Africa are to tribes/clans/families rather than a nationstate, religion, or ideology, so bringing your family abroad of going abroad to look for money would be less of a shift) and less perceived safety (e.g. apparently 75% of Ethiopia's skilled laborers moved abroad during its famines).