Austrian Science and Research Liaison Office Sofia ASO

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Austrian Science and Research Liaison Office
Sofia (ASO) Committee of Young Scientists (CYS),
Union of Scientist in Bulgaria (USB)
Brain Drain Trends Among Young Scientists in
Bulgaria in the Post-Socialist Period Todor
Galev, PhD Technology Studies Group Institute of
Sociology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
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National statistical data
Source Statistical Yearbooks 1989-2005
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National statistical data
Source Statistical Yearbooks 1989-2005
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National statistical data
Source Statistical Yearbooks 1989-2005
Note 1980-1991 Bulgarian PhD Students in
Bulgaria and abroad 1992-2004
Bulgarian PhD Students only in Bulgaria
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Surveys concerning brain-drain among Bulgarian
scientists

• September 1989 National representative study
  Potential emigration of Bulgarian scientists in
  conditions of benign passport regime, Institute
  of Sociology BAS
• 1992 Study on the brain drain from the
  Bulgarian Academy of Sciences between 1990 and
  1992, Institute of Demography BAS
• December 1992 International comparative study
  Profiles and reasons of potential emigrants
  (Albania, Bulgaria, Russia and Ukraine)
• September 1993 National representative study
  Potential emigration of Bulgarian scientists
  (dynamics and perspectives), Institute of
  Sociology BAS
• 1996 International comparative study Brain
  drain from Central and Eastern Europe, COST, DG
  XII, RDT Cooperation with Third Countries and
  International Organizations, Brussels, Centre for
  the Study of Democracy, Bulgaria
• 2001-2003 Bulgarian students in the fields of
  information technologies - attitudes towards
  emigration or working in Bulgaria, Technology
  Studies Group, Institute of Sociology BAS

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Main tasks

• Potential migration surveys attitudes,
  motivation
• Real migration surveys quantitative changes of
  scientific staff
• Assessment of the HR managers / management body
  of the migration processes qualitative
  evaluation of brain drain and mobility processes

Problems and difficulties in studying brain drain

• Lack of or inaccessible data for migration of
  scientists on national level (mainly macro-data
  informal economy)
• Accelerated dynamics of emigration and mobility
  processes (socio-economic changes)
• Need of qualitative data for the (potential)
  migration and mobility processes in different
  economic branches (specific characteristics,
  conditions, attitudes)
• Partial attention to the brain drain of young
  scientists
• Appearance of new phenomena (HR agencies
  head-hunters specialized emigration programs
  towards particular scientific fields)

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Some results from brain drain surveys

• Potential emigration of Bulgarian scientists
  (dynamics and perspectives), Institute of
  Sociology BAS, 1993
• No significant correlations between attitudes
  towards different aspects of social life and
  intention to emigrate. The conclusion is that the
  crucial decision to leave the country for a long
  period of time is not determined by any single
  factor. (p. 41)
• As compared to 1989 there is an improvement of
  the evaluation of the material conditions of the
  Bulgarian scientists. However, in 1993 scientists
  are less satisfied with their own wages, with the
  financial support for scientific activity, with
  the technical equipment, with their own social
  status in the society. (p. 20-21).
• Differences between the group of 31-40 years old
  scientists and their older colleagues. Young
  scientists are less satisfied with
• the property status (p. 20)
• the wages (p. 25)
• the institutional prestige (p. 25)
• the professional prestige (p. 25)
• the professional communication within
  institutions (p. 26)
• Younger and on lower hierarchical levels
  scientists have less personal motives that could
  prevent their potential emigration

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Some results from brain drain surveys
Bulgarian students in the fields of information
technologies - attitudes towards emigration or
working in Bulgaria, Technology Studies Group,
IS - BAS, 2001-2003
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Some results from brain drain surveys
Bulgarian students in the fields of information
technologies - attitudes towards emigration or
working in Bulgaria, Technology Studies Group,
IS - BAS, 2001-2003
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Some results from brain drain surveys
Bulgarian students in the fields of information
technologies - attitudes towards emigration or
working in Bulgaria, Technology Studies Group,
IS - BAS, 2001-2003
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Some results from brain drain surveys
Bulgarian students in the fields of information
technologies - attitudes towards emigration or
working in Bulgaria, Technology Studies Group,
IS - BAS, 2001-2003
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Conclusions

• There are no significant correlations between
  attitudes towards different aspects of social
  life and future professional realization and
  intention to emigrate.
• The crucial decision to leave the country for a
  long period of time is not determined by any
  single factor
• The younger people (scientists) are more
  motivated to leave the country
• Max Webers Wissentschaft als Beruf

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Thank you for the attention! for
contacts todor_galev_at_dir.bg Technology Studies
Group, IS-BAS www.sociology-bg.org