The US Leads the World In Nobel Laureates Due to One Factor

Turns out that at least one aspect 'American Exceptionalism' may have some distinctly foreign roots: over 30 percent of US Nobel Prize winners have been immigrants to the US.

Now this does constitute an implicit compliment to American culture and policies. Not only do people want to come to the US, but they have been encouraged to do so. Even if what used to be called a melting pot has morphed into a 'glorious mosaic' that in itself has at times been in danger of fracturing due to stagnant economic growth and the decided shift of income distribution to a smaller percentage of the population which, in turn, has caused a less welcoming attitude towards immigration and immigrants, despite the fact that very few so-called 'real' Americans are descended from actual natives.

The reality is that the US has benefited manifestly from the contributions of its immigrants and that has given it a decided socio-economic advantage over other nations who have not been as open.

As this one example suggests, the competitive benefits of that openness may continue to accrue as long as the policies that support it are not constrained. JL

Eileen Shim reports in News.Mic:

Since the prizes' inception, U.S. citizens have constituted a whopping 42.4% of laureates. But more interestingly, 30.7% of those award recipients had immigrated to the U.S.

It's Nobel season, and while we're still waiting on the prizes for literature, peace and economics, several Americans have already been awarded so far, a couple of whom demonstrate a decidedly international bent.

The team awarded for the medicine prize included John O'Keefe, an American-born British citizen at University College London; the team's research involved how brains create a sense of space and environment. As for the physics prize, the awarded team included Shuji Nakamura, a Japanese-born American citizen at University of California, Santa Barbara; the team was recognized for inventing blue light-emitting diodes.
So what's the big trend?
There have been a lot of foreign-born American laureates. Nakamura's case is just the latest. Last year, a George Mason University study found that, historically, "foreign-born scientists and engineers are over-represented among U.S. Nobel Laureates."
According to the study, Americans have traditionally done well in terms of Nobel recognition. Since the prizes' inception, U.S. citizens have constituted a whopping 42.4% of laureates. But more interestingly, 30.7% of those award recipients had immigrated to the U.S.

Source: George Mason University

While Canada was the most common place of birth for foreign-born U.S. laureates, there is pretty good geographical distribution throughout the rest of the world:

Source: George Mason University

The trend is especially noticeable among recipients of the economic and science prizes:

Source: George Mason University

What does this mean? While critics of this trend might say this is further evidence of the U.S. brain drain taking away foreign talent, these days, the brain drain seems to be running in the other direction: With decreasing academic funding and professorships, an increasing number of Americans are actually finding opportunities abroad.
And the prevalence of foreign-born U.S. Nobel laureates also demonstrates the boon of immigration and why this is a strategic investment for America.
"Not all immigrants will become Nobel Prize laureates, but what are the costs if they don't achieve their highest potential?" George Mason University sociology professor James Witte wrote for the Huffington Post last year. "It will be our own loss, as a nation, if immigrants are denied the opportunity to develop their talents and abilities; or if they don't feel welcomed and decide to take their high achievements and entrepreneurial abilities elsewhere."
At a time when 35% of international students in America are pursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, it becomes more and more imperative for academic institutions and communities to create attractive environments for both U.S. and foreign-born talent