ABSTRACT
Cross-national studies have found a set of relatively consistent factors that both "push" people out of their homelands and "pull" them into the developed world. Most studies see the low level of economic and political development in the Third World pushing academics and other professionals out, while the resources and benefits of the developed world pull them in. Other "pull" factors include professional opportunities, living and working conditions, opportunities for employment, the presence of friends and family, and political freedom. According to Lakshmana Rao, it is the "comparison of the potential migrant's situation in his country of origin with the situation of his peers in the country of destination that is critical to the decision of the potential migrant." 1 Thus the pull of higher salaries, greater logistical support, political stability, and opportunities for mobility leads people to leave their homelands and move to the developed world.
