This circulation attracts particular attention when educated people move about. Indeed, when the inflow of educated people does not seem as prominent as the outflow, it becomes a cause for concern. Precisely when this ratio of the inflow to outflow becomes worrisome depends on how the state views its role in the process of development. What to do when this ratio of inflow to outflow drops too low as some contend is happening now. Then it becomes a matter of national importance to be addressed at the highest levels of development planning. If ignored, this circulation seems to lead to highly unequal distributions of educated people. This unequal distribution across the globe is predicted to be much like the distribution of top professionals inside Nepal: They will concentrate in the most developed regions and scarcely reside in the less developed regions. Although such a concentration of scarcity and abundance can be defended as economically efficient, it might not be the most humane.
From the perspective of development, the problem requires a delicate balance. On the one hand, Nepal needs the talents of its citizens in order to develop. On the other hand, Nepal usually needs those citizens to travel in order to develop world-class skills. The question seemingly juxtaposes personal development and national development. In response to this dilemma, there are two obvious policy options. The government can either try to prevent the movement of professionals and students, or encourage them to work in the country once they have gone abroad. The former option seems limited in a democratic state that respects the freedoms of its citizens. The latter, as we have seen, has increasing but limited effectiveness. It is doubtful that marketing the country better will meet Nepal’s demand for educated workers.
There is a third option that deserves consideration, and requires delicate implementation. It is based on the principle of moral reciprocity that derives from a basic tenet of citizenship: Every citizen can be expected to invest in the country some measure of what the country has invested in them. Each government then bears some responsibility of facilitating this investment, and making strategic use of it.
If a student has been offered a scholarship or given a loan from the government for university study inside or outside the country, they could be required to pay the country back a few years after their training.
In the case of trained professionals, this means estimating how much the country has invested in them. In some cases, it is relatively easy. If a student has been offered a scholarship or given a loan from the government for university study inside or outside the country, they could be required to pay the country back a few years after their training. This repayment can be in the form of public service, employment in the country, or a monetary payment deemed equivalent to the government’s initial investment. In the least, this would replenish the government’s funds and at most it would contribute crucial inputs to the country’s development.
There will no doubt be unintended consequences to think through, but the intervention will open up the way for those who are willing to bear the responsibility of reciprocating the country’s investment. Indeed, a similar rationale justifies the existing requirement of a fixed amount of domestic service, often in rural areas, before obtaining medical certification. This rationale would have to be broadened and generalized to other professions as well. In cases where the citizen has not received direct support or certification, it is less clear what a fair reciprocal tax would be and caution would be in order.
A good start would be to identify professions that are critical to national development with the assistance of professional associations and then identify levels of support, say beyond 12th grade, that require reciprocation. This would be based on an estimate of skill shortages in the national plan and perhaps broken down further into explicit jobs. This is a delicate intervention that must be done fairly because it is easy to take too far, and can be expected to face opposition even when implemented in a just manner. It is not unreasonable that in certain areas that are crucial to the development of the nation, every citizen will be expected to contribute. This is especially true of those that have received public support at some stage of their training. After all, the purpose of professional training is not to enable talented individuals to use public funds to build personal fortunes abroad but to empower them to build a prosperous future for themselves and others at home.
(Writer is pursuing PhD in Economic Development and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), US.)
pokharelatul@gmail.com
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