ABSTRACT
A central assumption of the chapter is that to a considerable degree the migratory moves of highly educated labour, broadly defined as those carrying a college or university degree, determine the kind and amount of know-how that is transferred from place to place (see Salt, 1997; Gaillard and Gaillard, 1998; and Iredale, 1999 for definitions). This migration is often referred to as the 'brain drain' or mutual 'brain flows'. In principle, the brain drain occurs at a variety of spatial scales, including several 'blank spots' on the research map of labour mobility about which very little is known. In the present discussion, emphasis is placed on aspects of international movements, specifically between Asian Newly Industrialized Countries (NICs) and Western developed ones, in connection with related sub-national dynamics, that are propelled by a significant spatial selectivity of skilled migration. This perspective promises to be highly relevant with respect to the topical
question as to what actually triggers global-local dialectics in technology industries. An analysis of major brain flows, with respect to their geographic direction and spatial clustering tendencies, potentially offers important clues for a better understanding of (inter) regional learning processes based on interacting international and local information exchanges, and of the emergence of localized knowledge economies in globalized industrial space. Such an understanding is vital for developed and developing countries that are striving to support economic progress and innovativeness.
