Lure of country of origin: an exploratory study of ex-host country nationals in India Arup Varma Department of Management, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA, and Rosalie Tung Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada Abstract Purpose – The present study was designed to investigate the factors that prompt ex-host country nationals (EHCNs) to return to their country of origin, specifically, India. In order to identify specific factors that guide the decision to return, we examined several categories of reasons why members of the Indian diaspora who have lived/worked abroad may choose to return to India. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 98 executives from Southern India, this exploratory study sheds light on the emerging phenomenon of “brain circulation” advanced by Saxenian (2005) where highly qualified professionals (human talent, in short) ply between their country of origin (COO) and country of residency (COR). The authors investigate (i) their overall impression of their COO, (ii) the reasons they believe their company transferred them to India in the event of company-sponsored relocations, (iii) the impediments they face in performing their jobs in their COO, and (iv) their level of satisfaction with various aspects of their assignment, whether company-sponsored or self-initiated assignments. Findings – The findings of this study indicate that EHCNs were driven by several unique factors in their decision to return to their COO, including (i) quality of life, (ii) better career opportunities, (iii) remuneration and (iv) family reasons. Research limitations/implications – The findings of this study should help scholars develop theoretical models that can help explain the factors that determine the decision-making process of EHCNs related to returning to their COO. Furthermore, while our study was conducted in India, the factors guiding the decisions of the EHCNs are clearly universal, such as quality of life and opportunities for self. Practical implications – Overall, the EHCNs in our sample were happy with their decision to return to live and work in India, thus suggesting that it would not be very problematic for the Indian government to attract them to return home to satisfy the growing demand for human talent associated with inward and outward foreign direct investment to/from India. Originality/value – Given the Indian government’s continuing efforts to attract qualified EHCNs to return to India and contribute to the growth of the economy, our study offers specific insights into what motivates individuals to return to their COO. Keywords India, Careers, Quantitative, EHCN, Ex-EHCN Paper type Research paper Introduction The issue of “brain drain” (Carrington and Detragiache, 1999) from developing countries to developed nations, particularly those in the industrialized West has been a concern for emerging markets such as China, Malaysia and India, and has also been addressed by several scholars (see, e.g. Baruch et al., 2016; Baruch et al., 2007; Malek et al., 2014; Tung and Lazarova, 2006). Essentially, brain drain (Commander et al., 2004) involves the outbound migration of highly skilled professionals in search of high-paying jobs, better career opportunities and/or more desirable living conditions for their families. While it makes sense for these professionals to emigrate to countries where their skills are much sought after and where the compensation and quality of life may be higher, the resultant impact on their home nations is that of “brain drain,” as the countries end up losing intellectual capital, often permanently. In this paper, through a study of Indian professionals who return to their Study of ex- host country nationals in India The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/0048-3486.htm Received 30 October 2019 Revised 14 January 2020 Accepted 14 January 2020 Personnel Review © Emerald Publishing Limited 0048-3486 DOI 10.1108/PR-10-2019-0578