Is the Brain Drain Good for Africa?

As this chapter emphasizes, personal incentives are stacked in favor of emigration in many of the African countries that have outflows of skilled labor. The discussion provides some remarks on the question of the brain drain, with particular reference to Africa and using Ghana as a case study of effects on individuals. It fails to find any negative effect of brain drain on the stock of skills remaining in the source country, suggesting that skill-creation incentives offset the loss of skills one for one. It concludes that the ability of some people in the country to go abroad and form part of the brain drain (and circulation) has had a net positive effect on individuals from the source country.