International mobility characteristics, effects of, and effects on elite scientists

Abstract

Understanding the international flows of elite scientists is critical to science and talent policies. In this study, using the Scopus data of 78,815 top h-index scientists between 1921 and 2020, we investigate the characteristics of the international mobility of elite scientists, including geographic features, mobility types, and disciplinary characteristics. Our results reveal an increasing number of countries participating in international mobility over the past 2 decades, with North America and some Western European countries still serving as centers. Emerging economies have also become important mobility hubs in recent decades. Mobile scientists who have returned to their home countries have become the dominant mobility type, mainly in the form of short-term mobility. The disciplines of physics and astronomy and engineering have larger shares of mobile scientists than other disciplines, and the average flow frequency of elites varies among 26 observed disciplines. We use a difference-in-differences model to analyze how global mobility affects the individual productivity of elite scientists by distinguishing flow paths. The results indicate that international mobility improves the research performance of elite scientists who move to more scientifically advanced countries and that research quality is most positively impacted when elite scientists move to the United States or move from China.