Brain drain has been on the Turkish political agenda for a few days now, with various politicians and personalities jumping into the debate. Given that nothing happens in Turkish politics by accident, my guess is the government is getting shocking data about how many are leaving.
The starting point for the brain drain debate was the offer of money for return of academics (undone within 48 hours by the arrest of academics who had made the mistake of staying). I’ve argued before that money isn’t even a factor for most that leave.
If you’re talented, whether in academia, entrepreneurship or in corporate life, you seek security first, meritocracy second, money some distance behind the other two. If you are not a party member or somehow allied to the government, the first two are always in doubt.
Most modern economies realised a long time ago that human capital is the key differentiator in international economic competitiveness. Turkey has really talented people, many of whom want to leave, and foreign countries/companies aren’t stupid.
So when you see dinosaurs from the 70s and 80s saying that talented Turks who leave end up as waiters, they are being "cahil" and missing out on the last 20 years of Turkish diaspora development. Yes, sometimes it doesn’t go well but often, we do just fine.
International corporates and academic institutions are full of talented Turks who have left in the last few years for a more meritocratic and secure future. No amount of money would bring those people back if the entire system doesn’t also change.
By system, I don’t necessarily mean government (although they are likely one and the same thing). If you are talented, you can’t work for someone who is only above you because of who they know. You also can’t just auto-censor forever out of fear of incarceration.
If you are able to speak foreign languages (and this is key - you can be academically gifted but language is a sine qua non for success abroad), the world really can be your oyster in ways that are no longer possible in Turkey for those not in the government elites.
Brain drain will continue and even speed up as long as opportunities to pursue happiness are severely curtailed at home. Turkey is, as always, seeking to put plasters on gaping wounds. In this case, only dramatic root and branch change will work to end the exodus.
As a belated, post-flight addition to this thread: the point made by the dinosaur academic about emigrants being waiters is also incredibly ignorant. 1) Many aren’t but 2) nothing wrong with being a waiter and 3) many would prefer being a safe, happy waiter to danger at home.
