Quote:
Originally Posted by Tombstoner
I'm not sure it makes sense to speak of "subsidies." I see your point that people educated at the expense of one country going off to use that expertise in another country means that the first country has "lost" that expediture, but I think that has to be put in a larger context. Again, I raise two (what I think are valid) points that suggest that what you are calling a "subsidy" might be what some people would call an "investment" (e.g., there would be mass starvation in Zimbabwe if it's educated population weren't sending back remittances every month; in Malawi a big percentage of secondary schools are directly funded by bilateral donors [I don't have the figure at hand, but I seem to recall it is over 50%, and most of these people are staying in Malawi--maybe not the best and brightest, but the general educational level is being raised]). Personally, I think either term (subsidy or investment) obscures more than it reveals.
Believe me, I know about the problem of finding qualified people in Africa (over the past few years I have had to staff projects in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Ghana, Senegal and Mozambique), so I appreciate the impact of the brain drain. But I also appreciate that globalization has not produced clear-cut winners and losers--with all of the aid and parastatal assistance being given by the West it's hard to say who is (ultimately) subsizing whom. When you say "Africa is subsidizing the West" I understand the sentiment, but I don't find it very accurate.
|
Of course Africa is subsidizing the West, although quite unintentionally from all three parties involved (the recipient, the donor, and the people involved). The numbers speak for themselves. For some reason, it is difficult for Westerners to accept these kinds of statistics.......
There is no question that Western countries gain billions from the mass immigration of
30% of the educated class of Africa, especially the UK. I am not saying this is a negative or a positive, I am only saying that
Western countries should recognize the HUGE subsidies that African nations are giving Western countries........just pointing out the facts!
I also never argued that Western countries have not subsidized African countries in other positive ways (and hurt African countries in other ways), and who has a net gain......I didnt make a comment on that or research it,
I only am making a comment of the effect of the Brain Drain on Africa and the West, and the fact that it should be recognized as a significant factor in the economic development of Africa. And of course immigrants often send money back to their home countries for the first few years of immigration, which may help African countries offset the loses, at least in disposable income.
Prev
Linear Mode
