Frustration is high in communities where brain drain has lead to depopulation, an inability to support rural education institutions, and ultimately, to an efficiency gap when compared to urban schools. Without an easy solution in sight, politicians become the target of discontent, as it has happened in the small country of Latvia. But it’s not only up to the politicians. Economist Christopher Leake puts forward 5 steps that anyone can take to support brain drain-affected communities.
Christopher Leake is an American economist and the National Vice President for Data Analytics, Reporting and Insights at Teach For America, a sibling organization to Mission Possible (Iespējamā misija) in Latvia. His professional experience spans multiple sectors. He began his career in finance at J. P. Morgan, before moving on to applied economic research and policy at MDRC and as a Harvard Strategic Data Project Fellow. In this latter role, he worked with the New York State Education Department to implement a research and policy agenda to match unemployed graduates to local career opportunities and was involved in regional labor force development.
