Intellectual Property Rights and Diaspora Knowledge Networks: Can Patent Protection Generate Brain Gain from Skilled Migration?

This paper studies mechanism through which intellectual property rights (IPR) protectioncan ináuence the impact of skilled migration on innovation activities in developing countries.We argue that knowledge acquired by emigrants abroad can áow back to their country of originthrough diaspora networks. IPR protection in the sending country magniÖes this e§ect byincreasing the size of the innovation sector, thereby allowing diaspora gains to fall on a largerrange of workers. Strong IPR enforcement therefore makes it more likely for brain drain to betransformed into brain gain.