[notphilatall]

I've always figured (at least for former soviet states) that it's a combination of:

+ a rigorous STEM curriculum

+ limited conventional job prospects

+ a social/business environment in which exploit-selling is a respectable profession

[agravier]

Can you tell why you know that? Is that knowledge from personal experience?

[oddx]

From my personal experience I can confirm p. 1, totally disagree with p.2 (there are plenty of good and well payed jobs for IT specialists in xUSSR countries). About p.3 - exploit-selling is not a respectable profession, but in recent 20 years people have seen too many examples of people becoming rich by illegal and dirty ways and this definitely did bad influence.