Reversing brain drain to brain gain: Examining the drive of educated Sudanese migrants to return and contribute to their home country

Abstract

This study aims to provide a fresh perspective on educated migrants’ drive to return and contribute to their home country, introducing a holistic approach that challenges the traditionally separated concepts of brain drain and brain gain. Our conceptual framework integrates return and contribution motivations, avoiding oversimplifications that arise from analyzing these motivational factors separately. Through a qualitative analysis of 36 migrants and refugees from Sudan, a low-income African country, we identified five motivations for educated migrants to return and contribute to their home country: a social framework of mutual help (takaful), role-driven contributions, a sense of belonging, a drive for betterment, and being inspired by others. While previous studies have emphasized macro-level factors such as economic development and incentive programs to promote brain gain, the motives identified in this study are rooted in individual agency and experiential learning shaped by migrants’ connections to their home country. Moving beyond the dependency-based framework of brain drain and brain gain, our findings highlight that community-driven empowerment and locally relevant learning serve as key motivators for fostering brain gain.