Thesis: The migration of Russian academics is influenced by their socialization. Understanding the mobility of academic labor can augment the attractiveness of countries or regions to which immigrants are drawn. Migration patterns were derived from an empirical web survey (level of significance >95%) of 500 Russian academics who migrated to Germany. The results indicated that their decisions were based on their specific values, which determined their perceptions of the transaction costs and benefits involved in international labor markets. New Institutional Economics (NIE) serves as a theoretical framework through which to understand academics’ decisions to migrate and illustrates that peripheral regions and small enterprises can attract well-educated workers.

InterviewEigenständig auszufüllender Fragebogen

Self-administered questionnaireInterview

Russian academics migrating to Germany and having applied for scholarships from German scientific foundations in Russia in the years 2001 to2006.

An online survey conducted in Russia (n = 485 conducted from 2/2007 to 4/2007) provided the database regarding the migration of Russian academics.