Panel: Internationalization of Higher Education and the High-Skill Labor Market
(Science & Technology)

Thursday, November 8, 2012: 3:00 PM-4:30 PM
Chesapeake (Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel)

*Names in bold indicate Presenter

Organizers:  Sarah Turner, University of Virginia
Moderators:  Julia Lane, Senior Managing Economist at the American Institutes for Research and Michael Clemens, Center for Global Development
Chairs:  Sarah Turner, University of Virginia

Higher education markets and high-skill labor markets in science and engineering fields are increasingly international. In the U.S., 37 % of all graduate students in science and engineering fields are foreign born and 33% doctorate-level workers are foreign born, with foreign born representation in high-skill markets also high in the U.K. and Canada. This set of research papers begins by exploring the determinants of “internationalization” in higher education and the associated impacts on native educational choices and outcomes. Attracting foreign students through the pathway of higher education include added tuition revenues (in some, though not all programs) and increases in the flow of high-skill workers to the labor market. Still, these flows may impact educational choices and labor market outcomes for native students. The papers included in this session address how the international flows of high-skill talent impact higher education outcomes, labor market outcomes and innovation in research. Machin- Murphy and Bird-Turner look at the impact of foreign student flows in the U.K. and U.S., respectively, assessing not only the home-country determinants but also the impact of these flows on educational resources and domestic student investments. The Kerr paper makes innovative use of detailed Census Bureau data to assess firm-level impact of immigration on domestic wages and employment mobility. Stephan-Franzoni-Scellato provide an important step in understanding the productivity impacts of international collaborations, using original data to assess how foreign scientists further international scientific collaborations and joint research output.

Mobile Scientists and International Networks: Evidence From Globsci
Paula Stephan, Georgia State University, Chiara Franzoni, Politecnico di Milano and Giuseppe Scellato, Politecnico di Torino




See more of: Science & Technology
See more of: Panel