NEW DELHI, INDIA, April 29, 2011: India today offers better economic opportunities than the U.S., say seven out of 10 U.S.-returned Indian entrepreneurs, suggesting a dramatic generational shift with consequences for both countries.
In a study by three top American universities, 72% of Indians who have returned from the U.S. to set up companies at home in recent years said the “opportunities to start their own businesses were better or much better” here.
Faster professional growth (54%), a better quality of life (56%) and the same or better professional recognition (64%) are the other key draws.
“What was once a ‘brain drain’ that worked for the U.S. economy is now reversed, to the long-term benefit of India and China,” says the study by researchers at the University of California Berkeley, Harvard and Duke universities. The study evaluated responses of 153 Indian entrepreneurs who had founded their companies in India, managed them for at least a year and spent at least one year in the U.S. as a student or worker.