The brain drain in Spanish Communication research: the perspective of Spanish academics abroad

Abstract

Spanish Communication scholars working at foreign universities offer a vantage point to examine the access to an academic career in Spain and the international impact of Spanish scientific production. The reasons for their departure to other countries lie in the deficiencies of the Spanish university system. Drawing from the concepts of habitus (Pierre Bourdieu) and autopoiesis (Niklas Luhmann), 13 semistructured interviews were conducted with researchers chosen by snowball sampling. The informants highlight faculty hiring mechanisms, which in their view have not improved significantly even after the introduction of an accreditation system in 2008. The results also show the poor image of Spanish Communication research abroad, as it is regarded as disconnected from the international trends in the field. The improvements identified by the consulted sample indicate a slow but steady incorporation of Spanish research into the international sphere. However, this is insufficient, in the opinion of the interviewees, to stimulate a possible return of emigrated talent to Spanish higher education institutions. Insufficient and intermittent research funding is one of the most relevant roadblocks. Convergence with the systems leading the world´s scientific production today is still perceived as an unlikely and remote scenario.