Destination Choices of Mobile European Researchers: Europe versus North America

Abstract

Using a sample of 998 European-born researchers who obtained their PhD in Europe, we study the differences in personal characteristics, motivations and perceived external influencing factors between researchers who are internationally mobile within Europe or internationally mobile to North America. We find that career motivations are more strongly related to mobility to North America, which suggests that Europe is indeed losing its most motivated (and best?) researchers to the United States. However, researchers with previous mobility experience as students within Europe are more likely to remain internationally mobile within Europe, due to their different perception of external influencing factors. Personal influencing factors, which includes things like obtaining a work permission for a spouse, availability of adequate schools for children and the quality and cost of accommodation, are linked to mobility to North America, suggesting that it is easier for researchers to move a family to North America than within Europe.