The Grass is Indeed Greener in India and China for Returnee Entrepreneurs

Vivek Wadhwa, Visiting Scholar, School of Information, UC Berkeley; Director of Research, Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization, Duke University; Senior Research Associate, Harvard Law School

Sonali Jain, Postdoctoral Associate, Social Sciences Research Institute; Visiting Scholar, Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness, Duke University

AnnaLee Saxenian, Dean, School of Information, and Professor, UC Berkeley

Gary Gereffi, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness, Duke University

Huiyao Wang, Visiting Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University; Director-General, Center for China and Globalization

The report, “The Grass is Indeed Greener in India and China for Returnee Entrepreneurs,” is based on a survey of U.S.-educated Indian and Chinese professionals who had returned to their home countries and started businesses. These respondents cited economic opportunities, favorable conditions for starting a business and the speed of professional growth as the leading motivations for returning home. Family ties also played a significant role in attracting the entrepreneurs back to their native countries.