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The Arab Brain Drain

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2016

A.B. Zahlan
A.B. Zahlan*
Affiliation:
American University of Beirut
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Extract

The Arab World numbering an estimated 130 million inhabitants (1972) has produced—through its own college and university system (40 institutions in 1971 and 400,000 college students)—some 560,000 graduates; see Table I. Study abroad has been at a high level ever since the early fifties. During the past two decades it has increased from about 10,000 to 40,000.

Type
Research Article
Information
Review of Middle East Studies , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , October 1972 , pp. 1 - 16
Copyright
Copyright © Middle East Studies Association of North America 1972

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References

Notes and References

For general bibliographies about the migration of professionals see:

  • Stevan Dedijer and L. Svenningson, Brain Drain and Brain Gain (Lund: Research Policy Program, University of Lund, 1967).

  • Bibliography About the Migration and Return of Professionals, William A. Glaser (Bureau of Applied Social Research, Columbia University).

1. Detailed assessment of Arab high level resources is being prepared by the Association for the Development of Arab Resources. This document will be published towards the end of 1972.

2. See, for example:

  • Elkholy, Abdo, “The Arab-Americans: Nationalism and Traditional Preservations” in The Arab-Americans: Studies in Assimilation, Hagopian, Elaine C. and Teds, Ann Paden.), (The Medina University Press International, Wilmette, Ill., 1969), pp. 3–17Google Scholar.

  • For a comprehensive bibliography on Lebanese emigration and Arabs in the United States, see Zahlan, A.B., “The Lebanese Brain Drain,” to be published; Granotier, Bernard, Les Travailleurs Immigrés en France (Franqois Maspero, Paris, 1970)Google Scholar; and Zehraoui, Ahsène, Les Travailleurs Algériens en France (Franqois Maspero, 1971)Google Scholar.

  • Adiseshias, M.S., “L’Exode des Competences et le Monde Arabe,” Bulletin, I.A.U./A.J.U., vol. 18 (1970), p. 109Google Scholar.

3. Kuwaitem, Anwar and Hamdi, Midhat, Brain Drain from the United Arab Republic (Cairo: Department of Missions, Ministry of Higher Education, 1966)Google Scholar.

Bahig, Ahmed Fathy, Graduate Study Missions to the United States as Serving the National Interest of the United Arab Republic (Egypt), PhD thesis, The Catholic University of America, 1971Google Scholar.

4. The United States Government publishes the following data and literature on the subject : The Brain Drain into the United States of Scientists, Engineers, and Physicians, A Staff Study for the Research and Technical Programs Subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, July 1967; see also later publications by the same Committee. U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Tables 16 : Nonimmigrants admitted by Classes under the Immigration Laws and Country or Region of Birth: annual data; also Tables 8: Immigrants Admitted, By Country or Region of Birth and Major Occupation Group: annual data.

National Science Foundation, Scientists and Engineers from Abroad, relevant years.

5. Canada, Department of Manpower and Immigration, Annual Immigration Statistics, Canada.

6. Australia, Department of Immigration, Australian Immigration Consolidated Statistics, Canberra, 1971, No. 5.

A private discussion with an Australian immigration staff member revealed that about 1 percent of the Lebanese emigrating are university graduates. This corresponds closely to the concentration of university graduates in Lebanon (1.25%).

7. Zahlan, A.B., The Brain Drain from Lebanon and other Middle Eastern Countries, mimeo, (1969)Google Scholar, and its abstract in United Nations Institute for Training and Research, The Brain Drain from Five Developing Countries (UNITAR Research Reports, No.5, New York), pp. 89–95.

8. The Committee on the International Migration of Talent, Kidd, Charles V. (Chairman) published, in cooperation with Education and World Affairs, The International Migration of High-Level Manpower: Its Impact on the Development Process (New York: Praeger, 1970)Google Scholar. The following chapters are directly relevant to the Arab brain drain:

  • George B. Baldwin, “The General Picture in the Middle East,” pp. 261–268.

  • A.B. Zahlan, “Migration Patterns of the Graduates of the American University of Beirut” pp. 269–297.

  • Charles V. Kidd, “Migration into Britain and Western Europe: An Overview,” pp.505–507.

  • Michel Bouvier and Marie-France Desbruyeres, “France: Immigration of Scientific and Medical Personnel,” pp.533–562.

  • Geoffrey Oldham and Oscar Gish, “Migration of Professionally qualified Manpower from the Developing Countries to Britain,” pp.563–633.

  • The Committee on the International Migration of Talent, “Modernization and the Migration of Talent: Over-All Conclusions and Recommendations,” pp.667–724.

9. Zahlan, A.B., “The Lebanese Brain Drain,” to be publishedGoogle Scholar.

10. Estimate computed on the basis of Lebanese students who had worked for PhD degree over the period 1950–1971. Utilized Open Doors data and UNESCO statistics for Lebanese in European universities. Then counted number of Lebanese with PhD’s presently in Lebanon.

11. 8b above.

12. 8e.

13. 8d.

13b. 1970 figures obtained from the Direction de la Population et des Migrations, France, May 6, 1971, communication to A.B. Zahlan.

14. The Industrial Development Centre for Arab States (Cairo) sponsored a conference on “The Development of Manpower in Industry” held in Bludan, Syria, July 5–12, 1971. The following three papers presented at the conference are relevant to our discussion:

  • Abdo A. Elkholy, “Arab Brain Drain! Its Impact on Manpower in Industrial Development.”

  • Ali H. Shakrani, “Iraqi High Skilled Manpower in the United States Labor Force.”

  • Michael W. Suleiman, “The Repatriation of Arab Elites.”

15. Watanabe, S., “The Brain Drain from Developing to Developed Countries,” International Labour Review, vol. 99 (1969), p. 401Google Scholar.

16. 4 above.

17. Shaath, Nabeel, “High Level Palestinian Manpower,” Journal of Palestine Studies, vol. 1 (1972), pp. 80–95Google Scholar, see Table 8. The breakdown for the 16.7% is as follows: 6.5% Europe and Turkey, 0.6% USSR and Eastern Europe, 0.6% Far East, 7.6% U.S.A., 0.14% Canada, 0.03% Australia and New Zealand. Not all those presently residing outside the Arab World have brain drained.

18. 3 above.

19. 4.

20. 8f.

21. 2a and 14a.

22. 14c.

23. Zahlan, A.B., “The Science and Technology Gap in the Arab-Israeli Conflict,” Journal of Palestine Studies, vol. 3 (May, 1972 issue, in press)Google Scholar.

24. Zahlan, A.B., “Science and Backward Countries,” Scientific World (1967), No. 6, pp. 5–12Google Scholar; and “Science in the Arab Middle East,” Minerva, vol. 8, No. 1 (January, 1970), pp. 8–35.

Abdel Rahman Zurub, The Contributions of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Jordan (and the Palestinians) to Physics Research in the Period of 1912–1966, M.S. Thesis, Middle East Technical University, Ankara, 1972.

25. Zahlan, A.B., “Migrations of Scientists and the Development of Scientific Communities in the Arab World,” mimeo, (1969)Google Scholar. A paper submitted to IUHPS-UNESCO Study of National Scientific Communities.

26. Saroukhanian, G., “Needs of the Middle East for Health Manpower” in Education for Health Manpower in the Middle East, Nassif, R.E. and Thaddeus, J.D. (eds.) (Beirut: American University of Beirut, Centennial Publication, 1967), pp.25–39Google Scholar.

27. World Health Organization, Annual Report of the Regional Director to the Nineteenth Session of the Regional Committee (1 July 1968 - 30 June 1969), p. 17Google Scholar.

28. 8b.

29. Ibid.

30. Bryant, John, Health and the Developing World, Cornell University Press, 1969Google Scholar.

31. Zahlan, A.B., “Problems of Educational Manpower and Institutional Development,” in Science and Technology in Developing Countries, Nader, Claire and Zahlan, A.B. (eds.), Cambridge University Press, 1969, pp. 301–334Google Scholar.

32. Nader, Claire, “Technical Experts in Developing Countries,” in Science and Technology in Developing Countries, Nader, Claire and Zahlan, A.B. (eds.), Cambridge University Press, 1969, pp. 447–491Google Scholar.

33. I have attempted to look at some aspects of this problem in “The Social Responsibility of Arab Scientists,” a paper presented at the Third Arab American University Graduates annual meeting, October 1971, to be published.

34. Jafari, Lafl Ibrahim, “Migration of Palestinian Arab and Jordanian Students and Professionals to the United States,” Ph.D. Dissertation (Education), Iowa State University, 1971Google Scholar.

35. Appeal was issued by the Iraqi Ministry of Education on 21–8-1967 and carries the number: 951/19/1 and was entitled: “The Repatriation of Iraqi Experts and Specialists Presently Abroad.”

36. The Third Congress of Arab Economists, Damascus, 12/17/1971.

37. L’Orient-Le Jour, 28/1/1972.