Battle between Democracy & Autocracy: Impact of US-China Rivalry on Talent Flow

• In Event: Authoritarian Survival and Governance in China

Abstract

The influx of foreign talents to the United States has long been seen as a triumph of democratic ideals and an engine for American technological innovations. However, whether these talents choose to stay in the United States is shaped by their experience in this country. In this paper, we explore how the rising U.S.-China tensions in recent years affect the flow of talents in the STEM fields between these U.S. and China, as the two countries are engaged in a rivalry in science and technology. In particular, we examine how the increasingly hawkish rhetoric toward China, as employed by some politicians, influence the career choice of Chinese students studying in the United States. Based on a survey experiment among hundreds of international students studying STEM fields in the United States, we show that overly hawkish rhetoric on U.S.-China rivalry has a significant impact in driving Chinese students away from the United States; it also weakens their approval of democratic values overall. In contrast, we do not find similar patterns among international students from other countries. These results have significant implications for U.S. foreign policy and technological advancement.

Author

• Hanzhang Liu, Pitzer College