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Table 9 Definitions of variables and sources of data

From: International knowledge flows and technological advance: the role of migration

Variable

Source

Definition/Description

Employment-Based Immigration

US Department of Homeland Security – Annual Statistical Yearbook

Immigrants (in thousands) allowed into the US for specific, industry-based purposes, including spouses and children in given year.

Total Immigration

US Department of Homeland Security – Annual Statistical Yearbook

Immigrants (in thousands) allowed into the US in given year.

Stock of Immigrants

OECD Statistics http://stats.oecd.org/

Stock of foreign-born population (in thousands) by country of birth

Stock of Foreign Labor

OECD Statistics http://stats.oecd.org/

Stock of foreign-born labour force (in thousdands) by country of birth

GDP

World Bank http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.MKTP.CD

“GDP at purchaser's prices is the sum of gross value added by all resident producers in the economy plus any product taxes and minus any subsidies not included in the value of the products. It is calculated without making deductions for depreciation of fabricated assets or for depletion and degradation of natural resources. Data are in current U.S. dollars. Dollar figures for GDP are converted from domestic currencies using single year official exchange rates. For a few countries where the official exchange rate does not reflect the rate effectively applied to actual foreign exchange transactions, an alternative conversion factor is used.” Note: GDP for Australia in 2010 was missing and, but found at the IMF website: http://elibrary-data.imf.org/DataReport.aspx?c=1449311&d=33060&e=161838

Trade

U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, Foreign Trade http://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/balance/

Imports of US goods from sample countries plus exports to US in millions of dollars. Values are not seasonally adjusted.

Patent Stock Agriculture

Espacenet http://worldwide.espacenet.com/?locale=en_EP

Sum of total patents and patent applications from class A01 of the international patent classification (IPC) scheme. This class includes agriculture; forestry; animal husbandry; hunting; trapping; fishing.

Education

World Bank http://data.worldbank.org

Percentage of the student aged population enrolled in tertiary education in country j at time t

Inward FDI

Bureau of Economic Analysis http://www.bea.gov/iTable/index_MNC.cfm

Foreign Direct Investment in the US from abroad in millions of US Dollars, by country

Outward FDI

Bureau of Economic Analysis http://www.bea.gov/iTable/index_MNC.cfm

US Direct Investment abroad in Millions of US Dollars, by country