General information:
Title: Education-Migration Nexus: Exploring the Youth Brain Drain Phenomenon in Romania and the Republic of Moldova
(De la educație la migrație: Explorarea fenomenului exodului de creiere în rândul tinerilor din România și Republica Moldova)
Acronym: MIGRoM
Project ID: PN-IV-PCB-RO-MD-2024-0479
Funding: Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and Innovation Funding (Unitatea Executivă pentru Finanțarea Învățământului Superior, a Cercetării, Dezvoltării și Inovării, UEFISCDI), Romania
Budget: 749,998 RON
Project duration: 01.09.2025 – 31.08.2027
Romanian Academy, Iasi Branch
Government of the Republic of Moldova
Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova, Chișinău, Republic of Moldova
National Institute of Economic Research
Research objectives:
RO1 Assess the extent of the youth brain drain phenomenon in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, focusing on both common patterns and contrasting migration directions toward the European Union and Russia.
RO2 Explore the motivations and barriers affecting Moldovan students’ decisions to study abroad versus remaining in their home country.
RO3 Employ modern econometric techniques to assess the impact of Romanian policy reforms, such as the automatic recognition of diplomas for Moldovan students, on the migration patterns of Moldovan students to Romania.
RO4 Investigate the effects of high school graduate emigration on the level and type of human capital in Moldova and Romania, including implications for educational equity and opportunities in the home country.
RO5 Conduct a systematic review on how various programs – such as Erasmus, bilateral agreements etc. – have influenced the international mobility of students from Eastern Europe
RO6 Develop evidence-based recommendations to address youth migration, aiming to improve societal and economic resilience and wellbeing through innovative approaches.
