Trumpism is causing the United States to lose scientific talent. Cutting federal funding for science and reviving the Red Scare is driving international students away and making our own scientists leave for other countries that have the common sense to say, “What? More smart people? Sure, come on in!”
As with so many other aspects of the Trump regime, this self-inflicted brain drain invites apt analogy to Nazi Germany. Hitler drove scientists out of Germany in the 1930s, providing a gift to other nations and weakening his own war effort. Research by German economist Fabian Waldinger finds this exodus of scientific talent did more long-term damage to German science than the Allied bombings of World War II:
In the same way as the Nazi’s racist policies for human capital, the bombing attacks serve as an exogenous shock to physical capital. Ultimately, it allows to determine which of the two production factors is more important for the research productivity of universities. The results are very clear-cut. In the short run, bombing damages show a negative effect on research outputs. However, this effect is not very persistent. Already by 1961, universities that experienced a lot of destruction have restored their productivity, compared to universities which were bombed less. By 1970, they even turn out to be slightly more productive. Presumably because the reconstruction equipped them with state-of-the-art equipment.
In contrast, the dismissal of Jewish scientists caused a substantial decline in research output. The effect is particularly strong if a department lost its most productive researchers. Star scientists, like Einstein, cannot be replaced easily. Something that we knew already from Azoulay et al. (2010). What is striking, however, is the persistence of the effect. The drop in productivity is still visible in 1980, the last period that the data covers. Departments which lost one of their colleagues in the 1930s are still suffering from it 50 years later. Waldinger estimates the total loss of scientific publications to be around 34% in the disciplines of physics, chemistry, and mathematics [Paul Hünnermund, “Exodus in German Science,” personal website, 2014.11.24].
We could say Trump is dropping bombs on America’s universities and its scientific preëminence, but that would understate the long-term damage America will suffer from losing its smartest people.
Gosh. Its so nice to know there’s no climate change. No need for solar or wind power. Scientist’s, who needs them, their all Democrats. Elon will get us to Mars anyways. Its fun mimicking king don after all. Seriously.
Brain drain? Defne “brain”. Just guessing, but I’ll guess that over 90% of young leaders interested in agriculture in South Dakota high schools pick the fine, black dirt of ESD as a welcoming opportunity to innovate.
They all come home, eventually.
But I understand your post, Cory.
Thx
This admin seems to be hostile towards universities that believe in free soeech. Who wants to do research in this kind of climate over fear of deportatiom because of writing a paper?
Meanwhile Vance is preaching to the UK amd EU about their alledged anti-free speech policies.
Only 3 more years to go!
“For the scenario to occur, Democrats would need to gain a majority in both the House and the Senate in a future election (such as the 2026 midterms, as suggested in some discussions).
If Democrats controlled the House, they could elect Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker.
If both the President and the Vice President were impeached by the House and subsequently removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, the Presidency would then pass to the Speaker of the House.
However, the process would require two separate Senate trials, as one official would have to be removed before the next person in the line of succession (the Vice President) assumes the Presidency and then potentially faces their own impeachment and removal process.
The scenario you described is a theoretical sequence of events dependent on future election results and multiple successful political actions.”