ABSTRACT
This paper identifies the extent of the brain drain problem in Mississippi and quantifies its economic impacts on the state. The study begins by defining brain drain and comparing brain drain in Mississippi to other states in the region using two definitions of the term. We find that all states in the study experience gross brain drain, but not all states experience net brain drain. Returning the focus to Mississippi, the study includes an experimental analysis of the potential effects to the Mississippi economy if the state’s migration patterns of college-educated individuals were similar to those of other states in the region. This experiment allows us to determine the impact of brain drain on Mississippi’s economy in terms of real gross domestic product (GDP), personal income, employment, and population.
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No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
J. Corey Miller
J. Corey Miller is State Economist for Mississippi and Director of the University Research Center of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. His research includes regional economics, agricultural policy, agricultural risk management, and biofuels and bioenergy. His research has appeared in Agricultural Finance Review, Biomass, and Bioenergy, European Review of Agricultural Economics, Food Policy, Scientometrics, and Western Economics Forum, among others.
Sondra Collins
Sondra Collins is a Senior Economist at the University Research Center, a division of Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning. She conducts research on various economic issues facing the state as well as the economic impact of various policies. She has published in academic journals including the Journal of Economics and Finance, the Review of Black Political Economy, Journal of Income Distribution, and the Journal of Research in Gender Studies.