Where Do the Brainy Italians Go?

This paper studies the major determinants that affect the country location of university-educated Italian scientists and researchers who live abroad in three alternative geographic areas: the USA/Canada, the UK and other EU countries. In our sample, 38% of the brainy Italians are in other EU countries, 37% in the USA and 25% in the UK. Ceteris paribus, both push and pull factors are important: having a PhD from outside Italy predicts settling in the UK, while having extra working experience from outside Italy predicts migration to other EU countries. Specialization in the fields of humanities, social sciences and health are strong determinants of migration to the UK. For the move to the USA, specialization in the humanities is a significant deterrent, while specialization in health is a positive deciding factor. Those who stay abroad for less than two years, or for two to four years are definitely more likely to go to the UK. Lack of funds in Italy constitutes a significant push to the USA.