The U.S. Brain Drain: How Policies Are Driving Talent Away

Yeah, his brain's cooked

“Mr. President, there was a car bomb in Moscow this morning that killed a Russian general,” one reporter noted over the sound of the plane. “Do you have any reaction to that?”

“Who killed what?” Trump asked.

“Russian general, killed by a car bomb,” someone reiterated.

“Wow,” the president replied. “No, I just heard– you’re just telling me that for the first time. Where did this take place?”

“It took place in Moscow,” came the reply.

...........................................


Time: “Mr. President, you were showing us the new paintings you have behind us. You put all these new portraits. One of them includes John Adams. John Adams said we’re a government ruled by laws, not by men. Do you agree with that?”

Trump: “John Adams said that? Where was the painting?”

Time: “It’s right here.”

 

Starting to get some real data.

A Georgia Tech study shows that there is a net out-migration from states with total abortion bans which is particularly acute among single-person households. Even considering all other migration patterns, including COVID issues, they found total-ban states lost about 4.9 people per 10,000 residents every quarter, which comes out to a total loss of almost 1.5%. The numbers are fairly consistent across the months since Dobbs. Doesn't sound like much, but it is the equivalent of a super-high murder rate or lots of air pollution. When you consider that most are probably female and young, the long-term demographic, economic, and property values impacts can't be understated.

A notable but lesser percentage of family households also out-migrated.

Note: These are permanent relocations, not kids going to college out of state.

(This link is a draft. The final paper is behind a paywall: https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w33328/w33328.pdf)

Another study by the American Association of Medical Colleges finds that states with total abortion bans saw drops in applications for residency to the tune of 10.7%. Emergency medicine residency applications were down the most at 21.4% while the much smaller group of OB/GYN specializations were down by 10.5%.

https://www.aamcresearchinstitute.org/media/4846/download?attachment

This was entirely predictable and a result of really bad policy: brain drain from red states to blue and from US to other countries. Haven't seen much on non-academic migration to other countries, but I'm confident it's happening.

 

Is 75% a lot?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/t...amid-funding-cuts-the-science-world-is-ending

 

Things are going well.

Well, everyone except us.

https://www.ft.com/content/cd809af5-e0b7-46e3-91a1-c019090ea057?shareType=nongift

 

I’m really good at working with really smart people. Does that count? Can I go too?

 

This Gallup poll should scare the bejeezus out of everyone regardless of politics. There is no way to spin or dismiss this. When 40% of young women want out, that is a huge red flag that your country is on the wrong track.

https://news.gallup.com/poll/697382/record-numbers-younger-women-leave.aspx

As a Dad of two twenty-something daughters, both of whom are pursuing grad degrees abroad as are some of their friends, I am not surprised by this poll at all.

Now, it takes smarts, effort, and means to move to another country. Not everyone who wants to will be able to--but the ones who can will be your smartest, most capable, and most determined. And as the Gallup article says, they will take families (and friends) with them. Again, in the US, three women get PhDs for every two guys and that percentage has been rising.