The Decision to Emigrate or Return

The Perception of Differences between Scientific Systems in International Scientific Trajectories

Abstract

Scientific mobility is conditioned by the availability of material infrastructures and the prestige of national scientific systems, but the decision to migrate is not automatic; it involves an appreciation of the differences derived from these conditions and their implications for one’s own professional trajectory. Studies on highly skilled migration and scientific exodus highlight the confluence of structural and psycho-social dimensions that explain the decision to migrate. By reconstructing international scientific trajectories, this article analyses the structural and psycho-social factors related to the decision to migrate at two points in time: 1) the migrant’s initial perception of the differences between the situation in the country of origin and that in the country of destination, as well as the potential impact of international mobility on his or her career path; 2) after settlement (temporary, permanent or recursive), the comparison of his or her development prospects in different countries. The remembrance and discussion of development perspectives revealed the centrality of dependency relations and interconnectedness to the wider environment -family, social, political- and contingencies, both in the country of origin or return -Argentina- and in the destination countries: Germany and Spain.