Scientific Communities and Brain Drain: A Sociological Study

The migration of skilled scientific and technical personnel from our country to affluent West is a sociological phenomenon with manifold consequences. A number of studies estimate a loss of US$ 10 to 20 billion to India due to Indian brain drain alone during 1966-86. Do the brains go where money is or the brains go where the brains are? The present exploratory study, inspired by late Professor Sukhamoy Chakraborty and undertaken by NISTADS identifies and defines the brain drain phenomenon beyond its much discussed economic dimension. It helps: Understand the structure and organization of Indian scientific community as reflected in the research groups; Identify the social feature of research groups which tend to check or promote the process of brain drain; and Suggest some policy recommendations, if possible, on the basis of findings. It provides fresh insights into the brain drain – an original contribution to the existing literature on the subject.