ABSTRACT
An emerging research area within migration studies is the relationship between the state and its emigrants, comprising a broad array of connections between the country of origin, the emigrant, and the country of reception. This research area can trace its origins to the 1960s with the concern over the impact of brain drain in developing nations. Now, this field incorporates the construction of citizenship, the extraterritoriality of the nation-state, definitions of home, and the growing influences that diasporas might have in the place of origin. Following a historical overview of the right to emigrate, in this chapter we describe and analyze the conceptualization of development from the perspective of the sending country, new constructions of brain drain and brain circulation, the political influence of emigrants in the home country, and the notion of extraterritorial citizenship. We conclude this chapter restating the relevance of analyzing emigration as a central component of the migration process.
