One of the most central components of globalization is the spread of ideas throughout the world, especially in science and technology. The mobility of individuals in these fields specifically is what makes this transfer of knowledge possible, not only within countries but also between countries. Mobility of individuals to other countries for research and development offers many incentives; from flow of knowledge to job creation, to economic and work advancement, there are a multitude of positive effects that result from what the OECD refers to as talent mobility. "The Global Competition for Talent Mobility of the Highly Skilled" published by the OECD talks about all of these benefits in depth, and at face value I never would have considered negative effects after reading the first portion of this article. A concept known as "brain drain" is talked about in the article, which refers to when skilled individuals emigrate to find work elsewhere, which results in a loss of labor for their home country. Prior to me reading this article, I was aware that many individuals will leave their home countries in order to pursue work else where, but I never looked at it from a negative perspective. My initial thought would be that that individual left their country in order to find better work to better provide for their family. While on a personal or small scale that leaves a positive impact, it effects the country as a whole in a way that I never considered.

Brain drain was new terminology for me, and continues to make me reconsider the effects of emigration for work purposes. While the skills and knowledge that people who emigrate have is better put to use in different countries, but there is always the concern of the country that is losing that individual's skills and knowledge. However, as the article states, emigrants will often times return back to their home countries with even more knowledge than when they left, which ultimately benefits both the sending and receiving country. Rather than simply looking at the benefits of leaving one's country in order to find work, I now recognize that in a world where globalization is so prominent, the consequences of this process is equally as important to note. The concept of brain drain leaves room for both criticism and approval depending on the way in which a person chooses to look at it, but reading this article has forced me to evaluate both perspectives and understand the pros and cons of each of them.