Skip navigation
Flight Capital
Book

Flight Capital

The Alarming Exodus of America's Best and Brightest

Davies-Black Publishing, 2005 more...

auto-generated audio
auto-generated audio

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

David Heenan sounds a clarion call of alarm about educated immigrants who are now leaving the U.S. and returning to their home countries. His concern for America’s well-being comes through powerfully. His portraits of the different national groups who are now repatriating are vividly drawn and rich with quotations from representative individuals. Heenan is careful to specify how each group is unique as he describes the forces pulling Irish, Icelandic, Indian and numerous other immigrants back to their native nations. Most of his clear, straightforward suggestions about ways to address this crisis sound very logical. He argues quite persuasively for globalization, and for the ability to live and work anywhere and remain connected. However, he feels this trend presents a threat to the U.S., a threat he perhaps could have spelled out more clearly. When he illuminates the tremendous contributions immigrants have made to America, he warns of the problems their departure could cause. getAbstract recommends his book to executives who need to plan for a diminishing educated labor pool or who do business internationally, especially those who can sift these arguments to see which elements apply most fully to their industries or situations. Your workforce may be sailing away faster than you know.

Take-Aways

  • Educated immigrants in the United States are going back to their home nations.
  • This “exodus” of the educated will have major political and economic implications.
  • The educated workers and scientists who return home are starting their own companies in massive numbers.

About the Author

David Heenan has taught at the Wharton School and Columbia University. He is the author or co-author of several books, including Co-Leaders: The Power of Great Partnerships.