Brain Drain or Brain”Retain”? Students’ Intention to Migrate in Albania
Brain Drain or Brain”Retain”? Students’ Intention to Migrate in Albania

Summary/Abstract: This paper investigates the determinants of international migration of the Albanianuniversity graduates. The evidence is drawn from a new survey designed to study the micro andmacro-economic determinants of the brain drain. The sample consists of 1210 last year students of 14public and private universities in 8 major cities of Albania. The survey asked detailed questions onintentions to migrate and return on a range of different push and pull factors and their importance.These factors include individual and family characteristics, migration experiences and networks,destination countries, as well as aims, incentives and barriers to international migration at the microand macro level. Using these data, the probability of international migration of the most educatedindividuals in our country was estimated and the main characteristics that predict migration wereexamined. The findings of the paper indicate that migration for any purpose (study, migrate or liveabroad) decreases with age, being a female, and belonging to the Muslim religion, which wasincluded in the model as a control for social capital. Other positive and significant control variablesfor the social capital include encouragement by other persons, such as their professors, or friends andrelatives abroad who can help them in case they decide to migrate. The probability of migration of thetop students is significantly higher, and that of students from higher income families too. Our resultsalso indicate a strong positive association between the macroeconomic and political situation and theprobability to migrate. The results are robust to model specification, and differ slightly, on theexpected direction, with regards to the different purposes of migration. The paper contributes to theacademic debate on students’ migration and brain drain in Albania by drawing on new data andproviding evidence-based results. In addition, it estimates the effects of the key push factors at themicro, meso and macro levels which may assist and lead the policymakers towards more accuratedecisions.

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