[afro-nets] Master Thesis Survey: Brain Drain in Africa

[Femke Kramer <F.Kramer@Student.Unimaas.NL>]

Master Thesis Survey: Brain Drain in Africa
-------------------------------------------
 
This letter concerns those who -
 
* are of or used to be of African nationality, 
* have left their country for a year at least and have now re-
  turned or are still living abroad, 
* are in possession of a university degree or will be in the 
  near future, 
* have returned to their country of birth or another African 
  country OR are still living abroad. 
 
It is no problem to answer the survey in French, English, Dutch 
or German. 
 
Greetings, 
Femke Kramer
mailto:F.Kramer@Student.Unimaas.NL
 
 
About the topic:
 
I am an International Economics student at the University of 
Maastricht 
https://webmail.unimaas.nl/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://emeagwali.com
in the Netherlands, currently residing in Paris on a university 
exchange. I am doing research for my master-thesis topic the in-
frastructure of African countries to support the so-called posi-
tive side-effects of skilled migration. Africa has the largest 
portion of skilled migration in relation to the skilled popula-
tion. The debate about the brain drain questions whether the 
brain drain has disastrous effects or whether in the long run 
there could be a brain gain, a positive effect on the develop-
ment on the country. I want to research African countries, espe-
cially Ghana, Algeria, Botswana, Ethiopia and Madagascar, to see 
if these countries have to capacity to turn a brain drain into a 
brain gain.
 
The survey:
 
I would therefore like to invite you to fill in the following 
survey that I am conducting under African "intellectuals". Fur-
thermore, I would be very grateful if you would be willing to 
forward this survey to as many acquaintances as possible who 
broadly fit this criteria. The survey should take no more then 
20 minutes. All the information will be kept anonymous, though I 
would appreciate some personal information such as your name for 
the validity of the questionnaire. Some of the questions are 
quite open so please do not hesitate to elaborate on the sub-
ject, if you have the time of course.
 
If you would like to know anything else about me, the paper or 
the topic, please write to me. I am open to all questions and 
suggestions. If you would be interested in having a discussion 
with me over a coffee about the topic or your experience, do not 
hesitate to mention this! 
 
If you cannot reach the survey through this message please con-
tact me and I will send it over without delay.
 
Thank you in advance, 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Femke Kramer
66 Bvd Auguste Blanqui
75013 Paris, France
mailto:F.Kramer@student.unimaas.nl
 
 
--
 
Survey Brain Drain in Africa
 
Date:
 
About yourself:
 
Full name:
Date of birth:
Nationality (ies):
Current Residence:
Which languages did you speak before you left your home country?
Which languages do you speak now?
Career prospects:
Occupation:
Family situation:
 
Some questions:
 
Why would you consider yourself as being a ?brain-drain??
To which countries have you moved since you left your home coun-
try and when? Please mention as many dates as possible.
For what reasons did you move to these countries and what are 
your links, if any, to these countries?
What was the reason for you to move the first time?
Do you have a permanent or a temporary visa? Why?
Do you still follow closely the economic/political/social situa-
tion of your home country?
How would you describe the hospitality of your host country? 
Please specify in terms of how easy it was to find a job, obtain 
work permits and residency?
Was your idea of your host country before you arrived very dif-
ferent from your perception afterwards?
What did you find most difficult when you arrived in your coun-
try of destination?
 
Remittances:
 
Do you send back remittances (anything of value) to family or 
friends? Please specify.
If yes, for what purpose? What happens to the remittances when 
it reaches its destination?
If yes, for how long have you been doing this?
If yes, how do you send home money? Please specify as much as 
possible the type of organizations, type of bank facilities, 
etc. that you use for remittances.
If yes, how did you go about finding ways to send home money?
Is this money an important source of income for the receivers?
 
Would you send home (more) money/objects of value if the fees of 
remittances earned by banks and organizations were lower?
 
Are you planning to return to your country home country soon?
Are you investing in businesses or other institutions of your 
home country? How?
 
 
Political Situation:
 
Were you ever involved in politics in your home country?
Would you like to become involved in your home country politics? 
If yes, for what reason?
If you left the country for reasons including political ones, 
what would have to happen politically for you to want to return?
Do you follow closely development politics and projects?
 
Are you involved in Diaspora networks, either over internet or 
otherwise? If yes, please specify the reason of your participa-
tion, the objectives of the network and how you were introduced 
to the idea of Diaspora network participation.
 
Business ties:
 
Would you describe yourself to be helping business ties between 
your country of birth and your country of residence? Please ex-
plain.
What kind of industry/economic sector do you work in? 
Are you involved in any ?diaspora networks?, networks linking 
fellow expats? If yes please specify.
 
 
Did you have to go through a lot of trouble to finance your 
leave?
Do you believe your skills and potential could be of more use to 
your home country then the country you live in now?
Would you consider different countries of destination if you 
were to leave in 2005? Please take into account newly industri-
alized countries in areas such as South-East Asia.
Would you return home if, all else equal, salaries in your home 
country for your current job were as high as your current sal-
ary?
Would you never have left if salaries were higher at home? This 
does not take into account further job prospects that exist in 
?more developed countries?. 
Do you, through your work or other ways, help in facilitating 
companies of your home country or your host country to trade 
with or contact each other? If yes, how would you describe your 
role?
 
 
Education:
 
Where did you go to primary school?
Where did you attend high school?
Where did you attend university and what subjects did you take? 
What type of university degree(s) have you obtained or will you 
obtain in the near future?  
In what language were the classes at your university taught?
 
If you attended an African university (this does not have to be 
in your home country), how would you describe the subjects, the 
teachers, the atmosphere and the students?
If you attended an African university, which subjects were most 
popular amongst the students and for what reason?
If you attended an African university, do you know many of your 
university classmates who remained in your home country? What 
type of jobs did they obtain?
 
If you attended a European, North American or Australian univer-
sity, please specify the reasons for this choice? Were other Af-
rican Universities or other worldwide universities ever a con-
sidered option? Please specify.
 
If you attended a university in another place in the world other 
then those mentioned above (for example Asia, the Middle East 
and South America) please specify your choice and any specific 
relation to the country if applicable.
If you attended another university, did you move or consider 
moving to North America or Europe after your university educa-
tion? Please specify.
 
How do you think the education policies of your home country 
could be improved? (Politics, budget, technology, institutions, 
infrastructure?)
If applicable, do you feel there is still a lot of ex-colonial 
influence in the higher education of your country?
 
Do you keep in contact with friends from the schools you at-
tended in your home country a lot?
 
 
Family Situation:
 
Did you leave the country alone or in company of either a group 
of friends or family?
Did you make it possible for friends or family to emigrate after 
you had already left?
Do family/friends back home take you as an example to follow 
further education or to make higher education a priority for 
their children?
If you have raised a family, do your children feel attached to 
your country of birth? Would they consider moving there to work 
and live? 
 
Some questions about the brain drain:
 
In general, what is/was your first connotation when you hear the 
term ?brain drain??
Are you familiar with the term? Please specify.
Are you familiar with studies and research papers conducted on 
the brain drain?
If yes, do you have a particular opinion on the way these are 
written, conducted and the ideas that they put forward?
How do you view your home country?s intellectual group?
Haque and Jahangir (1999) indicate that the number of highly 
skilled emigrants from Africa increased from 1,800 a year on av-
erage during the 1960-75 period to 4,400 during 1975-84 and 
23,000 during 1984-87. What factors, to you, are the most impor-
tant to explaining this phenomenon? 
What type of skills do you believe would be of most use to the 
growth and development of your home country?
What is your opinion on temporary visas for ?skilled migrants??
Would you describe the emigration of ?home intellectuals? as a 
great loss to the overall development of your country? Please 
specify.
 
Some questions on international Organizations:
 
How do you view of/do you have an opinion on development organi-
zations as the World Bank and the IMF?
How do you view of/do you have an opinion on international or-
ganizations as the United Nations and its affiliate the Interna-
tional Labour Organization?
How do you view of/do you have an opinion on the African Devel-
opment Bank and the African Union?
Do you have any direct contact with any of these organizations? 
Please specify.