Laudel, Grit2015-12-100026-4695http://hdl.handle.net/1885/51964Many countries today have policies to encourage outstanding scientists to remain, or return, 'home'. To date, the cumulative effect of these policies remains unclear. This essay argues that we need a new approach to studying elites in science. It draws upon three studies to suggest that migration is field-specific; that migration occurs more among potential, rather than among established elites; and that policies aimed simply at attracting eminent scientists may prove inadequate to the task of sustaining national scientific communities.200510.1007/s11024-005-2474-72015-12-09