High-skilled migrants and cross-border innovation: a multi-level approach to international business policymaking

This chapter provides an analysis of the most relevant IB policies for cross-border innovation to maximize opportunities and limit challenges arising from the current macro trends. With a focus on the global race for talents and on the international high-skilled migration flows, this analysis looks at global collaborative activities aimed at knowledge creation across countries and the critical role played by MNEs. The chapter reviews the literature on cross-border innovation, international collaboration, and the role of key actors, with a particular focus on MNEs. It also zooms in into the role of high-skilled migration as a primary source of human capital enabling and nurturing cross-border innovation, and provides an overview of the policies on high-skilled migration and cross-border innovation. Finally, the chapter elaborates on IB policy recommendations for unlocking the potential of high-skilled migration for cross-border innovation by taking a multi-level perspective.