Essays on financing systems of student mobility in higher education : an economic analysis
(2025)
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- In today’s globally competitive landscape for talent, higher education is viewed not only as a cultural asset but also as an economic driver, playing a vital role in economic development and growth by fostering human capital, stimulating innovation, and enhancing productivity. In line with the increasing number of students enrolled in tertiary education, the number of international students is rising worldwide. Some of these students choose to remain in the host country where they studied, leading to brain drain or, at the very least, brain circulation. This situation poses significant challenges for developing nations, as it entails the emigration of skilled individuals who do not return to their country of origin. Recent literature on financing student mobility indicates that existing systems are often inefficient, producing both positive and negative externalities for the countries involved. This is particularly disadvantageous for developing “sending” countries, which often pay scholarship fees to their students to study abroad, under the false hope of seeing those students return once they have completed their studies. This study aims to enhance understanding of financing systems for student mobility, introducing the reader to a comprehensive literature review. It analyses and evaluates student mobility through statistics and institutions, offering recommendations for higher education policy. Furthermore, it proposes extending the analysis of the current literature into alternative models. It presents a new approach and analyses its mechanism design: a return-contingent scholarship set up by Ecuadorian educational authorities. The institutional data shows a return rate of 90%. By combining theoretical and empirical methods based on an original survey analysis demonstrating a similar return rate, this study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the impact of the Ecuadorian return-contingent scholarship, among other factors, on the decision of Ecuadorian students to stay abroad after their studies.
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Sanna, A. (2025). Essays on financing systems of student mobility in higher education : an economic analysis. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/274901