Talent on the move: essays on human capital, graduate mobility and economic development

This thesis aims to broaden the understanding of how human capital and graduates’ geographical mobility affects their individual careers as well as the firms, scientific systems, and countries in which they work. Firstly, it investigates the relationship between human capital, R&D, and productivity across different economies and industries. Secondly, it analyses whether interregional graduate mobility, as well as educational and cultural diversity among employees in a firm, have a positive effect on productivity. Subsequently, it studies how the interregional mobility of graduates affects their chances of obtaining a job in line with their qualifications. Finally, it investigates the role of geographical mobility for scientific upgrading by analysing the impact of international mobility of PhD holders on local and global scientific collaborations, and on the individual careers of researchers. The results indicate that the potential benefits that graduate mobility can bring are substantial (even if sometimes not wholly realized) and confirm the importance of maintaining a multi-level perspective in future research.