How to reverse the brain drain

The Greek brain drain has been a hot topic of discussion over the past few years, most recently as a result of Labor Minister Yiannis Vroutsis' announcement of a pilot program for luring back 500 Greek scientists and experts by subsidizing 70 percent of their salaries for a period of one year.

The scheme has come under intense criticism, first and foremost because the minimum salary of 3,000 euros is seen as too low by international standards and the one-year subsidy period as too short. Furthermore, immigration and repatriation are not only motived by financial concerns; they are also related to the country's chronic ailments and dysfunctions. After all, why should anyone come back to work in an environment that is so problematic and lacking in meritocracy?
In order to properly assess such an initiative, we need to bypass the stereotypes and answer two fundamental...