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Modeling the effects of physician emigration on human development
Alok Bhargava1, Frédéric Docquier, Yasser Moullan
1Department of Economics, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun, Houston, TX 77204, USA. bhargava@uh.edu
Economics and Human Biology
|February 4, 2011
Summary
Physician emigration impacts developing countries, with migration prospects slightly boosting medical training but not causing net brain gain. Higher physician numbers correlate with lower child mortality and better vaccination rates, especially with increased literacy.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Economics
- Human Development
Background:
- Physician emigration, or brain drain, from developing nations is a significant concern.
- The impact of this phenomenon on critical human development indicators remains incompletely understood.
- Understanding these effects is crucial for global health policy and achieving development goals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the effects of physician emigration on child mortality and vaccination rates in developing countries.
- To document the geographical distribution of physician brain drain between 1991 and 2004.
- To investigate how migration incentives influence the medical sector and physician supply.
Main Methods:
- Geographical analysis of physician emigration patterns (1991-2004).
- Econometric modeling (random and fixed effects) to assess the impact of physicians domestically and abroad.
- Estimation of models to explore migration-induced incentives in medical training.
Main Results:
- Migration prospects positively influenced medical training, but not enough to create a net brain gain.
- Infant and child mortality rates decreased with higher physician-to-population ratios when adult literacy exceeded 60%.
- Higher vaccination rates for DPT and measles were associated with increased literacy and physician availability.
Conclusions:
- Reducing physician brain drain may yield only marginal improvements in child mortality and vaccination rates.
- Adult literacy rates play a critical role alongside physician availability in improving health outcomes.
- Policy interventions should consider both physician retention and broader development factors like education.
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