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For centuries, the brain drain has worked
in our favor. The United States has always attracted talented
immigrants who created wealth and intellectual capital for
their adopted nation. Today, more than half the Ph.D.s working
here are foreign born; so are nearly half of the physicists,
computer scientists, and mathematicians. Immigrant brainpower
has never shone brighter. There's just one problem: Now
it's going home.
Flight Capital is the first comprehensive
study of why the best and brightest in America are leaving,
and what it means for the future. Analyzing the global battle
for top talent, David Heenan finds that, from Iceland to
India, countries are pursuing bold initiatives to lure knowledge
workers away from the United States. And post-9/11 immigration
restrictions have seriously affected our ability to replace
them.
Heenan brings the issue to life with the
personal stories of highly successful professionals who
have left the United States for their native lands of China,
Singapore, Ireland, Israel, Taiwan, and Mexico, among others.
He skillfully explores the diverse factors -- including
economic opportunity, cultural values, technological globalization,
and 9/11 fallout -- that are converging to send the brain
drain spiraling into reverse.
If this exodus continues, America's technological
and scientific preeminence and its economic strength will
be in jeopardy. We have two choices: cultivate homegrown
talent or staunch the flow. Heenan identifies a dozen actions
the United States can take to meet both challenges. Timely
and compelling, Flight Capital is a wake-up call
for everyone who cares about America's future place within
the global community.
David Heenan, a former senior executive
with Citgroup and Jardine Matheson, is a trustee for the
Estate of James Campbell, one of the nation's largest landowners.
He has taught at the Wharton School, the Columbia Graduate
School of Business, and the University of Hawai'i. His articles
have appeared in such leading publications as the Harvard
Business Review, the New York Times, the Wall
Street Journal, and the Christian Science Monitor.
Heenan is author or coauthor of five other books, including
Co-Leaders: The Power of Great Partnerships and Double
Lives: Stories of Extraordinary Achievement.
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