Greece education and brain drain in times of crisis

Abstract

Brain drain is a phenomenon that Greece has experienced since late 1950, which has continued in subsequent decades and intensified over the 1990s. Although there was, in the first decade of the twenty-first century, a political and economic situation more stable than in the past, the unprecedented economic crisis that Greece is going through has caused, and will continue to cause, the increase in brain drain due to poor employment opportunities and strong austerity measures taken by past governments, which depress the level of living standards. If this massive human capital flight increases, which is very likely, it would surely worsen the situation as Greece would continue to suffer depression effects on its economy and to lose precisely the resources it needs for economic recovery. This article highlights some causes determining the brain drain in Greece, also in the light of some scientific surveys that analyse this phenomenon. Moreover, it tries to provide keys to ending the crisis and to economic recovery, starting from education and implementation of major reforms aimed at overcoming problems that have long plagued the Hellenic education system and that can enhance its quality, while maintaining commitments to equity and social justice.