An Open Panel on Higher Education: Organizational Crisis and the Brain Drain

Centers of excellence at Israel's universities are crumbling. The brain drain is in full flow. The country's extensive investment in higher education over the last five decades is increasingly benefiting other countries which are able to attract Israeli academics. Figure 1 illustrates the situation in Israel in the units most vulnerable to the brain drain-the universities. Departure for employment abroad of males aged 30-40 is the highest among professors, 6.52 percent. Relative to its size, the brain drain from universities in Israel is more widespread than it is in most other highly scientifically advanced countries. As Figure 1 shows, Israelis account for 1,409 of the foreign staff at US universities while Britons account for only 3,117, even though Britain's population is ten times greater than Israel's. Figure 2 presents rates of departure from Israel by profession. It demonstrates that university professors have the highest exit rates.