Research studies on the linkages between the migration phenomenon and the development
of migrants’ country of origin - the so-called “migration and development nexus” - date back
to the 19th century when the first academic study on this topic was published. Since then
interest in this topic has swung back and forth. After some years of neglect, the publication of
the World Bank’s Global Development Finance report in 2003 (Ratha, 2003), focusing on
migrants’ remittances as a source of development finance for the sending countries, put again
the migration and development nexus at the centre of a debate at the international level that
sees the participation now not only of scholars but of political decision makers as well.
During the last decade, conferences and international fora on this topic have multiplied.
Within the broad area of migration and development nexus, the role of highly-skilled
migrants, whose migration flows from developing to industrialised countries have risen
considerably, has gained momentum. The debate on the impact of highly-skilled migrants on
the development of sending countries usually focuses on the potential loss (i.e. “brain drain”)
or gain (i.e. “brain gain”) of knowledge that their departure results in. However, the
discussion about the contributions of highly-skilled migrants to their homeland’s
development being relegated to the dichotomy of brain drain – brain gain results is
incomplete. Sen’s definition of development as “the process of expanding the substantive
freedoms that people enjoy” (Sen, 1999) introduces the concept of human capability, namely
people’s ability to lead their life and to amplify their possibility of choice, as the main
parameter of development ahead of income and material growth. In line with it, the scope of
migrants’ contributions broadens beyond their technical knowledge and skills to include
social, economic, and cultural capital. These latter are potentially higher in the case of highlyskilled
migrants compared to low-skilled migrants, since they have more cultural and
financial means to exploit fully their experience abroad and capture and transfer new values
and knowledge.
Until recently the academic study of the migration and development nexus has been
shaped by strongly opposed views that alternatively have either claimed an absolute positive
influence of migration on development of the countries of origin, or accused migration of
impoverishing developing countries of the best component of their population and driving
them in a circle of poverty. This criticism is exacerbated in the case of highly-skilled migrants
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whose move deprives sending countries of their knowledge and skills, considered key factors
for economic development. However, a recent theoretical framework in migration studies that
analyses the migration phenomenon in the context of the current globalised world, the
“transnational” theory, rejects this Manichean approach. According to it, the current global
economy and new technologies in the communication and transport sectors support migrants’
involvement in two or more countries at the same time, and so put in question the common
assumption that the physical return of migrants is a prerequisite for contributing to the
development of the country of origin.
Instead, according to this theory the final impact of migration depends on the sending
countries’ policy framework. This should ensure a friendly environment to downsize the
negative consequences of migration and amplify its benefits, as well as transform migrants
into being “agents of development” for their country of origin. However, the countries of
origin’s policies may not be sufficient to foster the development impact of migrants’
communities abroad. Transnational scholars have pointed out that the new technologies drive
a perspective shift on migration, from a definitive move to a continuous and multidimensional
process linking two countries. This creates a linkage between integration in
receiving countries and migrants’ transnationalism, which are simultaneous processes
reinforcing each other. As a consequence, destination countries have a key role to play in
enhancing migrants’ development impact in the countries of origin, both through cooperation
with these latter to promote transnational activities and in facilitating migrants’ integration in
their territory.